Gender not mainstream

Article by Claire Braund
Published in The Advertiser (Adelaide), 25 May 2010

Comments by John Colvin,the chief executive of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, in The Advertiser on May 11 came to the attention of Women on Boards, which recently ran some professional development workshops and a networking event in Adelaide with some leading SA directors.

Mr Colvin's comment that "it is mainstream for boardrooms to talk about this particular issue (low representation of women on boards) as opposed to being hounded by particular interest groups" deserves to be challenged. The lack of women in the boardroom (and in senior management and executive roles) has been an issue which has been ignored for 20 years by the majority of corporate Australia and the AICD. Why has it now become mainstream?

One wonders if the AICD's mentoring program, while commendable, could have anything to do with the proposed changes to the ASX corporate governance principles and recommendations requiring entities listed on the Australian Securities Exchange to disclose in their annual report

• Their achievement against gender objectives set by their board; and
• The proportion of women on the board, in senior management and employed throughout the whole organisation.

While the AICD might believe it is "taking the lead in helping to put women on boards" the reality is that without the work of "particular interest groups" - such as the Equal Opportunity in the Workplace Agency, successive Sex Discrimination Commissioners, the ASX Corporate Governance Council, the Government and Women on Boards - the issue is unlikely to have rated a mention in most boardrooms.

That it is now a hot topic of discussion is gratifying. Women on Boards will continue to lobby and work hard to ensure it stays on the agenda and the representation of women on ASX boards and in senior management and executive roles increases as a result of long-term, sustainable and measurable diversity programs.