Churchill Fellowship will investigate quotas in the boardroom
MEDIA RELEASE
Friday 23 July 2010
Claire Braund, Executive Director of Women on Boards, has been awarded a Churchill Fellowship to investigate the impact of boardroom gender quotas in Norway, Spain and France.
Ruth Medd, Chair of Women on Boards, congratulated Claire, saying her Fellowship was highly significant as the paucity of women on the boards and in the senior executive ranks of listed companies has become a very live public concern in Australia.
“Australia is very much at the beginning of both the conversation and the journey on this issue and needs to look and learn from outside to determine a pathway forward.”
Norway introduced legislation for gender balance in 2003 and is now measuring its impact and effect. Spain introduced quotas in 2007 and legislation is pending approval by the French senate this year.
Specifically Claire’s project will:
- Investigate how and why these countries implemented gender quotas.
- Measure the impact of gender diverse boards on corporate governance and company performance; and
- Look at the role of the boards and the chairs in the success or otherwise of legislated quotas.
Ms Medd said understanding the cultural shift required to engage chairs and business leaders and mainstream the adoption of quotas or targets as a means of bringing women’s merit out into the open, was a key component of Ms Braund’s Fellowship.
“It is important to grasp that recent mentoring and other programs have been set up within the parameters of Australia’s existing conservative cultural norm. So while they might slightly increase the numbers, they may not address the real cultural impediments behind the need for change.”
Ms Braund will receive her Churchill Fellowship today from Professor Marie Bashir AC, CVO, Governor of NSW, at a special ceremony at Government House today.
About Churchill Fellowships
The Churchill Trust was established in 1965 to honour the memory of Sir Winston Churchill by awarding overseas research Fellowships known as 'Churchill Fellowships'. Since its inception The Churchill Trust has awarded Churchill Fellowships to over 3,400 Australians who are innovative, filled with a spirit of determination and possess a strong desire to benefit their community and make a real contribution to Australian society.
For interviews
Claire Braund, 0409 981 781 or 0411 604070 (Louise)
Ruth Medd, 0419 407 231 or 933 18851
