KPJ Healthcare Berhad

WOMEN IN SENIOR POSITIONS STILL A MINORITY, FORUM TOLD

Organisations must be prepared to attract and retain highly educated female executives, says Naseba CEO Le Ray’.

Organisations must be prepared to attract and retain highly educated female executives, says Naseba CEO Le Ray’. DESPITE efforts to promote gender diversity in the work place, women remain a minority in senior positions and at board level globally, a Women In Leadership (WIL) Forum Asia in Kuala Lumpur was told yesterday.

Highlighting a survey by Global Gender Gap Report, Naseba Group chief executive officer (CEO) Sophie Le Ray pointed out that out of the 134 countries assessed on how well they divide resources and opportunities among male and female populations, only 60% of these countries have succeeded in closing economic participation gaps.

She told the forum that work still need to be done to narrow these gaps among genders at all levels of business and public life and also to leverage the talent of women.

“In the battle for talent, especially in emerging markets, organisations must understand the changes society is going through and be prepared to attract and retain highly educated female executives,” she said in her speech.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, in her opening speech via video recording, pointed out that a pervasive paradigm shift has occurred and continues to take place, giving women recognition as major players in shaping the socio-economy landscape of a country.

She said that of the 22% of corporate executives at top management, which formed one third of people in entrepreneurial activities, are constituted by women worldwide.

“Women are making waves in areas of society and are filling in the world’s top corporate management roles and leadership positions in governments, civil societies and politics,” she said. The two day forum which started on Monday aims to offer a worldwide network of initiatives for women to expand their network, conduct businesses, share experiences and gain aspirations from their peers.

The forum kicks off with the WIL Asia Awards ceremony which witnessed the recognition of prominent Asian women who have broken new grounds in the business world, rewarding leading personalities for their achievements and initiatives in promoting the development of women in society.