SlideShare a Scribd company logo
1 of 12
Download to read offline
Women in senior management:
setting the stage for growth
Grant Thornton International Business Report 2013




   19%                  24%                 24%        20%    21%    24%
       2004                 2007                2009   2011   2012   2013
This report, based on the latest research from the International Business Report (IBR), explores the global shift in the
     number of women at the top of the business world and examines ways to make this growth permanent and parity
     possible. Key findings from the survey include:
     • women hold 24% of senior management roles globally, a three point increase over the previous year
     • there has been a sharp rise in China, with 51% of senior management positions held by women, compared to
        25% last year
     • the proportion of businesses employing women as CEOs has risen from 9% to 14%
     • education and talent management may work in tandem with flexible work arrangements, which 67% of respondents
        offer, to increase the number of women in top leadership
     • just 19% of board roles around the world are held by women
     • although quotas have been put into place around the globe to increase women’s participation in boards, 55% of
        respondents oppose such quotas.




Changing perceptions                                      FIGURE 1: PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN IN SENIOR MANAGEMENT

Over the past year, women have grabbed headlines
in every industry and every corner of the globe. In
the arts, more female directors, producers and
writers were able to get their work into cinemas,
television and theatre. In politics, an increasing
number of women won elections: South Korea, for
instance, recently swore in its first female president.
Approximately 17 countries have women as head of
government, head of state or both (a number that,
according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union and                                                                     21%
                                                                                                               North America
UN Women, has more than doubled since 2005),
and the world average for women in parliament
totaled 20.4% as of 1 February 20131. The
corporate world also saw firsts: Marissa Mayer
broke ground when she took the helm of Yahoo
more than six months pregnant.
    Women breaking barriers was the conversation
of the year – from the much-discussed piece in The
Atlantic, “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” by
a Princeton professor and former US State
Department official, Anne-Marie Slaughter, to
Facebook’s chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg
and her new tome, “Lean In: Women, Work and the                                                                           23%
Will to Lead”, which addresses how women can                                                                            Latin America
succeed in the face of gender barriers. Via ‘Lean In’
circles, Sandberg proposes to gather women to
share their stories and create strategies for climbing
the corporate ladder.




1
    http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/world.htm                    SOURCE: GRANT THORNTON IBR 2013




2 Women in senior management
WOMEN AS PERCENTAGE OF SENIOR MANAGEMENT – GLOBAL        WOMEN AS PERCENTAGE OF WORKFORCE – GLOBAL AVERAGE
           AVERAGE




                                             %                                                         %
           24 35
                                                     31%       Russia




          24%
           Nordic




25%                                                       %
 Europe

                                         51            China



                                        19%
                                                                                           7%
                    %
          30  Turkey
                                           India
                                                                                        Japan




                                      32%                               22%
           28%
            South Africa
                                              ASEAN
                                                                            Australia
                                                                                                28%
                                                                                                 New Zealand




                                                                                                Women in senior management 3
The benefits of parity                                                                                          FIGURE 2: WOMEN IN SENIOR MANAGEMENT AROUND THE WORLD:
                                                                                                                TOP 10
The conversation continues as to whether women will ever
reach parity with men in the workforce. Though the past 40
years have seen a massive generational shift, with more women




                                                                                                                                                                               China (mainlan
entering the workforce across the globe, more needs to be
done to advance women to senior leadership positions.




                                                                                                                                                                  Pola
     In 2012, though women comprised over a third of the




                                                                                                                                                                      nd 4
                                                                                                                                                   Lat
workforce in the United States, they held a mere 14.3 percent




                                                                                                                                                                          8%
                                                                                                                                                      via




                                                                                                                                                                                      51%    d)
                                                                                                                                                          43
of executive officer positions at Fortune 500 companies and




                                                                                                                                         Es



                                                                                                                                                            %
                                                                                                                                           to
only 8.1 percent of executive officer top-earner positions2. Of




                                                                                                                                             nia
                                                                                                                                  Lit




                                                                                                                                               40
                                                                                                                                     hu
the FTSE 100, women held only 15% of board seats and 6.6%                                                                              an




                                                                                                                                                 %
                                                                                                                                         ia
                                                                                                                                          40
of executive positions in 20123. In the Asia Pacific region, the                                                                            %
                                                                                                                              Phil
percentage of women on boards was about half that in Europe,                                                                      ippi
                                                                                                                                      nes
                                                                                                                                          37%
Australia and North America4.
                                                                                                                            Georgia
     The promising news is that the number of women in                                                                               37%
leadership roles is growing. The IBR survey, which includes
                                                                                                                            Thailand 36%
both listed and privately held businesses, indicates a 3% increase
in the number of women in senior management positions from                                                                                 %
                                                                                                                                     m 33
                                                                                                                               Vietna
2011 to 2012, with 24% of businesses with women in senior                                                                                    32
                                                                                                                                               %
                                                                                                                                         ana
management roles globally in 2012 (compared to 21% in 2011).                                                                       Bo tsw
     And more people are taking note that gender diversity at
board and senior management positions promotes corporate
growth. A recent McKinsey review of 100 companies against                                                       SOURCE: GRANT THORNTON IBR 2013
the Organizational Health Index (OHI) found that companies
with three or more women in top positions (on the executive
                                                                                                                FIGURE 3: WOMEN IN SENIOR MANAGEMENT AROUND THE WORLD:
committee or board) scored higher than their peers5. In a                                                       BOTTOM 10
similar vein, another report concluded that the “overall median
proportion of female executives was 7.1% at successful
companies and 3.1% at unsuccessful companies,
                                                                                                                                                          Spain 21%
                                                                                                                                 Irela




demonstrating the value that having more females can
                                                                                                                                      US


                                                                                                                                      nd 2




potentially bring to a management team…for start-ups with
                                                                                                                                         20
                                                                                                                                          UK




                                                                                                                                          1%
                                                                                                                                           %
                                                                                                                                             19




five or more females, 61% were successful and only 39%                                                                      Ind
                                                                                                                                               %




                                                                                                                               ia
failed”6. In another study tracking results from Fortune 500                                                                      19
                                                                                                                                    %
                                                                                                                         Arg
companies from 2004 to 2008, those companies with the most                                                                   enti
                                                                                                                                 na 1
                                                                                                                                     8%
women board directors outperformed those with the least by                                                               Switz. 1
                                                                                                                                   4%
at least 16% in terms of return on sales and 26% in terms of
                                                                                                                           Netherl. 11%
return on invested capital7.
                                                                                                                                 1%
     Nancy McKinstry, the first woman to run 175-year-old                                                                   UAE 1
                                                                                                                                     7%
                                                                                                                                  an
Dutch publisher Wolters Kluwer, believes that diversity drives                                                                 Jap
results, and she has helped draw women to leadership
positions since she stepped up as CEO in 2003. Back then,
                                                                                                                SOURCE: GRANT THORNTON IBR 2013
women held only 20% of top leadership posts at Wolters
Kluwer; ten years later, it’s 33%. Says McKinstry, “We’ve been
able to attract female talent because they see women leading
different parts of the company. Diversity helps; it is a self-
fulfilling prophecy.”


2
  2012 Catalyst Census Fortune 500 Women Executive Officers and Top Earners
3
  Ruth Sealy and Susan Vinnicombe, “The Female FTSE Board Report 2012: Milestone or Millstone?” (Cranfield University, 2012).
4
  “Mind the Gap: Half of Asia’s Boards Have No Women, a Risky Position for Governance and Growth,” by Alicia Yi (2011).
5
  “Unlocking the Full Potential of Women in the U.S. Economy,” special report produced by McKinsey exclusively for the Wall Street Journal Executive Task Force for Women in the Economy
  2011, by Joanna Barsh and Lareina Yee.
6
  “Women at the Wheel: Do Female Executives Drive Start-up Success?” by
7
  “The Bottom Line: Corporate Performance and Women’s Representation on Boards (2004–2008),” by Nancy M. Carter and Harvey M. Wagner (2011).




4 Women in senior management
“We’ve been able to attract female talent
                                                                                   because they see women leading different
                                                                                   parts of the company. Diversity helps; it is
                                                                                   a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
                                                                                   NANCY MCKINSTRY
                                                                                   WOLTERS KLUWER




A shifting landscape of opportunity                                                This is not the case in more patriarchal societies
The increase in the number of senior management                                like Japan (7%), United Arab Emirates (11%), and
positions occupied by women takes the ratio back                               Argentina (18%).
up to the levels that preceded the global recession.                               In Latin America, cultural issues tend to keep
The slump hit women disproportionately, and only                               women from ascending to senior management
now is a turnaround at hand8. The increase from                                ranks – the number is 23%, unchanged from last
21% of women in senior management in 2011 to                                   year. Indeed, 38% of companies in Latin America
24% in 2012 is a significant improvement,                                      have no women at all in senior management.
occurring in parallel with the recovery (albeit tepid)                             Softtek president and CEO Blanca Treviño tells
of the global economy.                                                         Grant Thornton/Forbes Insights, “Softtek has
     Regionally, Asia Pacific leads with 29% of                                offices in Asia, Europe, Latin America and in the
senior leadership positions held by women,                                     United States, and probably the toughest one is
compared to 25% in the European Union, 23% in                                  Latin America. Even in Softtek, I cannot deny that
Latin America and 21% in North America.                                        there is a culture issue. If you think about Latin
     The country ahead of the pack in Asia is China,                           America and very specifically about Mexico, even at
with 51% of senior management positions held by                                a family level, the husband is the boss. When you
women, compared to 25% last year.                                              go and work for a company, one of the things that
     “Women have more and more opportunities                                   is difficult for men is to see that the boss is going to
now. Their talent and intelligence are much more                               be a woman. Sometimes a woman feels that she
respected at higher-level positions,” Mei Hui, board                           cannot be the boss of 10 or 20 different men.”
secretary of the China Financial Futures Exchange,                                 Despite much negative press coming from India
tells GrantThornton/Forbes Insights. “In my                                    with respect to gender relations, the country might
experience, the proportion of women in senior                                  prove to be the next leader. With only 15% of the
management has definitely increased over the last                              total employee base occupied by women, 42% of
five years. Women’s power in China is increasing.                              survey respondents said they had plans to hire more
Still, we have further to go, and it would help if                             women, especially in senior positions.
companies and institutions offered more                                            “Definitely the number of women on top in
opportunities for women to develop.”                                           banking and finance has increased. Women are
     Former Eastern bloc countries including Poland                            getting earlier career breaks as well. Women who
(48%), Latvia (43%), and Estonia and Lithuania                                 dropped out are being called back by their old
(both 40%) also have healthy representations of                                companies. The economy is growing and the
women occupying senior decision-making roles.                                  demand for good executives is ongoing,” explains
                                                                               Kaku Nakhate, the president and country head of
                                                                               Bank of America Merrill Lynch India.


8
    “The Demographics of the Job Recovery,” by Rakesh Kochhar, Pew Hispanic Center (March 21, 2012).




                                                                                                                                      Women in senior management 5
“If there can be more planning and implementation of programmes
     and policies to offer more opportunities for women, including
     internships for female students, apprenticeships and promotion
     structures, this would help women in the corporate hierarchy.”
     MEI HUI
     CHINA FINANCIAL FUTURES EXCHANGE




Education: the leap forward                                                      Since the early 1990s, in the United States
The consensus is that change begins with education.                          women have been attaining bachelor’s degrees in far
According to a recent World Bank report, there are                           greater numbers than their male counterparts10.
are more women than men studying in universities                             According to the census, 2010 was the first year in
in 60 countries it researched9.                                              which women earned more advanced degrees than
    The same report attributes the great strides in                          men. In the European Union, 60 percent of
women’s participation in the labour force to                                 graduates from universities in the Union’s 27
increased education. Specifically in Colombia,                               member states last year were women11.
higher education led to the steepest increase in                                 Elizabeth Truelove McDermott, the vice
women’s labour force participation as well as                                president of Audit, Ethics and Compliance Services at
representation in senior managerial positions. This                          DeVry, says that her master’s degree and CPA shaped
could provide an example for Latin America, where                            her career. “I finished my CPA when companies
just 32% of total employees are female, according                            had to start complying with the Sarbanes-Oxley
to the IBR survey, and only 15% of survey                                    Act [regulation passed in 2002 to improve financial
respondents say they plan to hire more women in                              disclosures from corporations and prevent fraud].
senior management.                                                           The new career path helped my talent to grow.”
    Explains Blanca Treviño: “Forty years ago or                                 Those women who stay ahead of the game with
[in] my mother’s generation, in Mexico, women                                the rapid pace of technology change will have an
were not expected to go to university; you were                              advantage when senior management positions open
supposed to get married. The percentage of women                             up. “You always have to be open to continually
in university at that time was 20 to 25 percent.                             develop your skills,” advises Wolters Kluwer CEO
Today, you will see 45 percent. That will have an                            McKinstry. “For me, getting my MBA gave me a
impact on the work level. You see more women                                 whole tool kit.”
looking to have a career. So yes, it is changing.”




9
   World Bank 2012 World Development Report: Gender Equality and Development
10
   Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends project, “Women See Value and Benefits of College; Men Lag on Both Fronts, Survey Finds,” by Wendy
   Wang and Kim Parker (August 17, 2011).
11
   European Commission data: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Tertiary_education_statistics




6 Women in senior management
FIGURE 4: CHINA LEADING THE WAY
                                                                                               PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN IN SENIOR MANAGEMENT

                                                                                                      China (mainland)           51

                                                                                                      Poland                     48

                                                                                                      Latvia                     43

       “Women who dropped out are being called                                                        Estonia                    40


       back by their old companies. The economy is                                                    Lithuania                  40

                                                                                                      Philippines                37
       growing and the demand for good executives
                                                                                                      Georgia                    37
       is ongoing.”
                                                                                                      Thailand                   36

       KAKU NAKHATE                                                                                   Vietnam                    33
       BANK OF AMERICA MERRILL LYNCH INDIA
                                                                                                      Botswana                   32

                                                                                                      Russia                     31

                                                                                                      Germany                    31

                                                                                                      Taiwan                     31

                                                                                                      Hong Kong                  30

                                                                                                      Turkey                     30

Creating the pipeline for senior female managers                                                      Greece                     30

Another key factor in promoting women in the workplace is                                             South Africa               28
talent management. According to a McKinsey report, “If                                                New Zealand                28
companies could raise the number of middle management
                                                                                                      Belgium                    28
women who make it to the next level by 25%, it would
                                                                                                      Peru                       27
significantly alter the shape of the pipeline. More women who
make it to senior management share an aspiration to lead, and                                         Singapore                  27

more believe that getting to senior leadership is worth the                                           Sweden                     27
cost.12”                                                                                              Canada                     27
    McKinstry has instituted an innovation contest to spur
                                                                                                      Malaysia                   26
thought leadership at Wolters Kluwer; this also allows her to
                                                                                                      France                     26
see the pool of candidates coming up the pike and gives more
input to managers when they are seeking people to promote.                                            Global                     24

Participation in the innovation programme indicates a passion                                         Finland                    24
for work and a dedication to put in the extra hours – both of                                         Italy                      24
which are necessary for advancement to senior positions, adds
                                                                                                      Denmark                    23
McKinstry.
                                                                                                      Brazil                     23
    The problem is typically that in this mid-career space,
women are leaving companies to start families, and companies                                          Mexico                     23

need to find solutions to keep the pipeline strong.                                                   Armenia                    23
    Programmes that focus on nurturing talent are critical. Mei                                       Australia                  22
Hui recommends internships, apprenticeships and tailored
                                                                                                      Chile                      22
career paths. “Generally, it would be best if the men in charge
                                                                                                      Norway                     22
could increase opportunities for women. If there can be more
planning and implementation of programmes and policies to                                             Spain                      21

offer more opportunities for women, including internships for                                         Ireland                    21

female students, apprenticeships and promotion structures,                                            United States              20
this would help women in the corporate hierarchy. Men
                                                                                                      United Kingdom             19
should be more supportive and more caring about the women
                                                                                                      India                      19
in the workforce and create an atmosphere for mutual
respect,” she explains. In China in particular, such policies are                                     Argentina                  18

crucial; 71% of companies surveyed in China do not offer                                              Switzerland                14

flexible working options.                                                                             Netherlands                11

                                                                                                      United Arab Emirates       11

12
     “Unlocking the Full Potential of Women in the U.S. Economy,” special report produced by          Japan                       7
     McKinsey exclusively for the Wall Street Journal Executive Task Force for Women in the
     Economy 2011, by Joanna Barsh and Lareina Yee.                                            SOURCE: GRANT THORNTON IBR 2013




                                                                                                                         Women in senior management 7
“We have been very good at capturing women [of] talent at the entry
   level, but the combination of industry characteristics and culture in
   Latin America creates a scenario that has proven to be tough for us
   in terms of retaining and developing this mid-level talent.”
   BLANCA TREVIÑO
   SOFTTEK




    Meanwhile, in India, where 49% of those             to senior levels. The social and cultural environment
surveyed say they offer flexible working options,       in Latin America plays a big role. The industry in
Kaku Nakhate says there is still much room for          which we participate tends to be very demanding
improvement: “There are certain infrastructural         for mid-management levels. Regardless of gender,
constraints that women executives who are rearing       IT services demand very flexible hours and a lot of
children face. Being provided flexible work hours,      travel. We have been very good at capturing women
for example, is very important, but all companies       [of] talent at the entry level, but the combination of
don’t offer that. Unfortunately, there are rigid        industry characteristics and culture in Latin
mindsets, mostly male, that don’t believe in giving     America creates a scenario that has proven to be
women opportunities or creating an environment          tough for us in terms of retaining and developing
where they can work and express themselves.”            this mid-level talent.”
    On the flip side, flexible working conditions do        If flextime is not available – globally only 67%
not always lead to increased numbers and retention      of respondents stated that they offered it – there
of women in top jobs. In Denmark and Finland,           may be other ways to keep women in the talent
with 93% and 90% respectively offering flexible         pool. India’s Kaku Nakhate admits, “I have spent
work schedules, women represent only 23% and            hours trying to persuade women not to quit and to
24% of senior management, and in both countries,        take a sabbatical instead. As I said, we face drop-
fewer than 10% of respondents said they were            offs in the middle rungs, and if we can’t retain them
seeking to hire more women into top roles over          there, they can’t rise to the top.”
the next 12 months.                                         Corporate talent retention policies and flexible
    In the United States, where 72% of respondents      work options are only one part of the puzzle.
said they offered flexible working options, only        Women who remain in the workforce in mid-career
one-third of total employees are women. A recent        and higher levels need to have strong support
high-profile and much debated announcement from         networks at home. All of the female executives
Yahoo! CEO Melissa Mayer, rolling back the              interviewed stated that family networks enabled
company’s work-at-home policy, highlighted the          them to climb the corporate ladder, even with
intense debate over the value of flexible work rules.   strong cultural biases working against them. Blanca
A memo from Yahoo! human resources informed             Treviño explains that not only are some women not
employees that they would not be permitted to           expected to work outside the home in Mexico, but
work remotely because “speed and quality are often      often other men harass the husbands of working
sacrificed when we work from home.”                     women about why they allow their wives to work.
    Softtek CEO Treviño would like to implement         Until such cultural perceptions change, it will be
more flexible work options for employees, but she       difficult to find the support women need to work
believes that at senior management levels this is       their way up the career ladder.
difficult because of the travel and meeting
requirements of those roles. “Softtek has not been
as successful as I’d like to see in promoting women


8 Women in senior management
Growth spurt: more female CEOs globally in                    FIGURE 5: TOP 5 AND BOTTOM 5 ECONOMIES WITH FEMALE CEOS
                                                              ALL BUSINESSES WITH AT LEAST ONE WOMEN IN SENIOR MANAGEMENT
2013 than ever before
Women are increasingly rising to the top. 14% of
those businesses with women in their senior
management teams, have a female CEO, up from                      Thailand: 49%
9% in 2012. Now 21 of the Fortune 500 CEOs are                                           Denmark: 45%
women, and Yahoo’s Melissa Mayer made headlines
last summer with her appointment to the tech giant
while she was pregnant. After a century of appointing
male CEOs, IBM appointed Ginni Rometty as                                   Germany: 40%
chair, president and CEO. Making further inroads                                                 Latvia: 38%
into traditionally male-dominated industries, in
                                                                                                                   Japan: 29%
2013 Marillyn Hewson took the helm of defense
contractor Lockheed Martin as president and CEO.
    Women are also increasing their presence in the
C-suite. The top five positions where women enter                         India:    Hong Kong:     Poland:        UK:
                                                                           4%          4%           4%            4%          Turkey:
senior management – chief finance officer (31%),                                                                                2%
human resources director (30%), corporate
                                                              SOURCE: GRANT THORNTON IBR 2013
controller (14%), chief marketing officer (13%) and
sales director (13%) – all saw increases in the
number of women over the past year. As women
take on greater roles in the C-suite, they’re better
positioned for management to consider them for
the top spot.
    A new study by ACCA (Association of
Chartered Certified Accountants) and the
Economic and Social Research Council from
Cranfield School of Management indicates that
women who have a finance background find more
success on the corporate boards of FTSE
companies; the report states that 45% of female
executive directors are financially qualified and
65% in total have a financial background13.
    McKinstry does caution women not to
pigeonhole themselves: “Too often women will go
into roles that don’t show results. They take on
more support functions, such as head of human
resources or head of legal, rather than a line
function. If you can demonstrate results, it is better
for advancement.”
    Softtek’s Treviño sees travel as an obstacle for
women juggling career and family and trying to                   “Travel presents difficulties for women
climb the corporate ladder. “Travel presents                     – they need much more support from
difficulties for women – they need much more
support from their families if they want to reach
                                                                 their families if they want to reach
senior positions, which imply travel. If you think               senior positions.”
about marketing or human resources or probably
                                                                 BLANCA TREVIÑO
other departments, it’ll be much easier for us to say,
                                                                 SOFTTEK
‘OK, you can work from home or work part-time.’”


13
     http://www.accaglobal.com/content/dam/acca/global/PDF-
     technical/human-capital/pol-tp-cgs.pdf




                                                                                                               Women in senior management 9
FIGURE 6: TOP TITLES OCCUPIED BY WOMEN
2013 VS 2012


              31                                  30


                                                  21
                                                                             14

              13                                                             14
                                                                             13                13                13

                                                                                                8                 8


     Chief Finance Officer           Human Resources Director            Corporate      Chief Marketing        Sales
                                                                         Controller         Officer           Director

     2013       2012

SOURCE: GRANT THORNTON IBR 2013




    The need to travel and the long hours required                                Despite the increase in the number of women in
in senior leadership positions hold true across all                           senior leadership positions, and the move to
industries, though some sectors see more women in                             improve programmes to promote women,
top management than others. Healthcare leads the                              especially on corporate boards, quotas remain on
pack with 45% of women in senior management,                                  the table to move the process along.
followed by education and social services (44%),                                  Quotas for the number of women on boards
hospitality (41%), cleantech (33%) and financial                              have many advocates: “The proof is in the pudding;
services (29%).                                                               regulatory pressure works,” Viviane Reding, the
    Kaku Nakhate reveals that in India the banking                            EU justice commissioner, said in a statement to the
industry offers a stable career for female executives:                        International Herald Tribune. In France, legislation
“Banks are recognising that diversity is important,                           passed in January 2011 – requiring that within three
as their customer universe is so diverse and half of                          years 20% of a company’s board members must be
their clients are women. So they are seeking out                              women, rising to 40% in six years – led to an
women, especially in front-end, client-facing jobs.                           increase in women directors, from 12.7% to 16.6%
We offer flexible working hours and training                                  in 2012. In fact, almost nine out of 10 companies in
programmes, and allow women executives to go on                               France have at least one woman director. In
sabbaticals. Banks are also developing mentoring                              Australia, following passage of a corporate
networks within that can help women executives                                governance code amendment dealing with diversity,
who are facing a career problem.”                                             the proportion of women on corporate boards
                                                                              increased from 10.2 percent to 13.8 percent within
Quotas: working but not favored                                               two years15.
Gender diversity on boards elevates companies in                                  Globally, 55% of respondents surveyed said
the eyes of investors, according to a recent study:                           that they would not support the introduction of
“We find that the market reaction to female                                   quotas for the number of women on executive
appointees is, on average, positive and significant.                          boards of large listed companies, versus 37% who
This suggests that the market does not perceive the                           would. The female executives we interviewed also
appointment of female directors to be primarily                               view quotas with some unease.
motivated by tokenism. Moreover, the average
reaction for female appointees is roughly two
percent higher than for male appointees even after
controlling for other appointee characteristics, such
as independence, expertise and qualifications.14”


14
   “Does Gender Matter in the Boardroom? Evidence from the Market Reaction to Mandatory New Director Announcements,” by Renee B. Adams, University of
   New South Wales; Financial Research Network (FIRN); European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI), Stephen Gray, University of Queensland – Business
   School; Duke University – Fuqua School of Business; and John Nowland, City University of Hong Kong.
15
   GMI Ratings’ 2012 Women on Boards Survey.




10 Women in senior management
Says Blanca Treviño, “If there were quotas                              FIGURE 7: WOMEN ON BOARDS
                                                                            PERCENTAGE OF BOARD OF DIRECTOR ROLES HELD BY WOMEN
involved, there would always be the question that
you’re there not because you are the most qualified                         Russia                                                                                   37

for that seat but because the company needed or                             Thailand                                                                                 35
wanted to meet those quotas.” However, perhaps
                                                                            Philippines                                                                              34
because of the male-dominated business culture in
                                                                            Vietnam                                                                                  30
Mexico, 65% of Mexican respondents said they
would support the introduction of quotas.                                   Latvia                                                                                   30
    In China, which leads the percentage of women                           Global                                                                                   19
in senior management this year, 72% of respondents
                                                                            Brazil                                                                                   13
favour board quotas to promote women. “For
governmental organisations, it can definitely help.                         Malaysia                                                                                 13

But for commercial sectors, we need to respect the                          UAE                                                                                      12
market value. A certain percentage of women in the
                                                                            Switzerland                                                                              7
boardroom are very helpful for avoiding risk and
making good business decisions,” says Mei Hui of                            Japan                                                                                    7

the China Financial Futures Exchange.                                       SOURCE: GRANT THORNTON IBR 2013
    In India, where women are just coming up in
the ranks, there is no consensus on quotas. Kaku
Nakhate’s opinion reflects this dichotomy:                                      But McKinstry and the other executives
“Personally, I’m against quotas, because I believe in                       interviewed remain positive; the seeds of change have
meritocracy, and that should not be compromised                             been planted and the 2013 IBR survey shows the
for the sake of filling a board seat. If the woman                          results. Emerging markets in Asia and Latin America
doesn’t deserve being on the board, what would she                          will see the greatest change in the years to come.
contribute? Having said that, we need quotas so                                 “I really see that the younger generation will
that it sets a goalpost for companies. In India, we                         soon overtake us. There will be no glass ceiling for
definitely need regulation as women are so poorly                           them. The younger generation—look at my
represented on corporate boards.”                                           daughter as an example—are very talented and very
                                                                            motivated. In the near future, they will be teaching
Future outlook: positive                                                    us,” says Mei Hui.
Significant obstacles remain to reaching parity in                              Blanca Treviño concurs: “In Latin America, the
senior leadership posts and corporate boards. In her                        women who graduate from the universities today
essay in The Atlantic, Anne-Marie Slaughter                                 are going to be the professionals in five years and
explored these challenges, especially those posed by                        will look for those senior positions in 10 years. It’s
work-life balance. She sees no easy answers until                           not at the speed that we would like, but I do think
there is a cultural shift recognising that women need                       that in 10 years, it will have improved.”
more support16.
    “Expectations are higher of women,” says Wolters
                                                                            Thanks to the following:
Kluwer’s McKinstry. “Women have to achieve better
                                                                            Mei Hui, board secretary, China Financial Futures Exchange
results because there are fewer of them.”                                   Elizabeth Truelove McDermott, vice president, Audit, Ethics and
    McKinstry adds that women face judgement                                Compliance Services, DeVry
                                                                            Nancy McKinstry, CEO and chairman of the executive board,
based on the whole person, not just the company’s
                                                                            Wolters Kluwer
performance, making scrutiny of female leaders                              Kaku Nakhate, president and country head, Bank of America Merrill
even more acute: “Women are judged on how they                              Lynch India
dress, how they look, their work-life balance.”                             Blanca Treviño, president and CEO, Softtek




16
     http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/why-women-still-
     cant-have-it-all/309020/




                                                                                                                                           Women in senior management 11
The Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) is a quarterly survey of 3,500 senior executives in listed and
   privately-held businesses all over the world. Launched in 1992 in nine European countries the report now surveys 13,000
   businesses leaders in 44 economies on an annual basis providing insights on the economic and commercial issues affecting
   companies globally.

   The data in this report are drawn from more than 6,500 interviews with business leaders from all industry sectors, conducted
   between November 2012 and February 2013. Additional in-depth interviews were conducted by Forbes Insights.

   To find out more about IBR and to obtain copies of reports and summaries visit: www.internationalbusinessreport.com.

   Participating economies
   Argentina        Lithuania
   Armenia          Malaysia
   Australia        Mexico
   Belgium          Netherlands
   Botswana         New Zealand
   Brazil           Norway
   Canada           Peru
   Chile            Philippines
   China (mainland) Poland
   Denmark          Russia
   Estonia          Singapore
   Finland          South Africa
   France           Spain
   Georgia          Sweden
   Germany          Switzerland
   Greece           Taiwan
   Hong Kong        Thailand
   India            Turkey
   Ireland          United Arab Emirates
   Italy            United Kingdom
   Japan            United States
   Latvia           Vietnam



   IBR contacts
   April Mackenzie                                  Dominic King
   Global head governance and public policy         Global research manager
   T +1 212 542 9789                                T +44 (0)207 391 9537
   E april.mackenzie@us.gt.com                      E dominic.h.king@uk.gt.com




www.gti.org                                                                      Chief Insights Officer: Bruce Rogers
www.internationalbusinessreport.com                                              Manager, EMEA: Lawrence Bowden
                                                                                 Report author: Tatiana Serafin
© 2013 Grant Thornton International Ltd. All rights reserved.
References to “Grant Thornton” are to the brand under which the Grant            Forbes Insights is the strategic research practice of Forbes Media,
Thornton member firms operate and refer to one or more member firms,             publisher of Forbes magazine and Forbes.com. Taking advantage of a
as the context requires. Grant Thornton International and the member firms       proprietary database of senior-level executives in the Forbes community,
are not a worldwide partnership. Services are delivered independently by         Forbes Insights’ research covers a wide range of vital business issues,
member firms, which are not responsible for the services or activities of one    including: talent management; marketing; financial benchmarking; risk
another. Grant Thornton International does not provide services to clients.      and regulation; small/midsize business; and more.

More Related Content

Viewers also liked

Adriana Cisneros - Roundtable Discussion on Innovation and VC/PE Development ...
Adriana Cisneros - Roundtable Discussion on Innovation and VC/PE Development ...Adriana Cisneros - Roundtable Discussion on Innovation and VC/PE Development ...
Adriana Cisneros - Roundtable Discussion on Innovation and VC/PE Development ...Adriana Cisneros
 
TRABAJO DE TECNICAS
TRABAJO DE TECNICASTRABAJO DE TECNICAS
TRABAJO DE TECNICASadricisneros
 
Ensayo Plaza del sol
Ensayo Plaza del sol Ensayo Plaza del sol
Ensayo Plaza del sol PerahoOpe
 
Gustavo Cisneros nombra a Adriana Cisneros como nueva CEO de la Organización ...
Gustavo Cisneros nombra a Adriana Cisneros como nueva CEO de la Organización ...Gustavo Cisneros nombra a Adriana Cisneros como nueva CEO de la Organización ...
Gustavo Cisneros nombra a Adriana Cisneros como nueva CEO de la Organización ...Gustavo Cisneros
 
Perfil Diego Cisneros a sus 100 años
Perfil Diego Cisneros a sus 100 años Perfil Diego Cisneros a sus 100 años
Perfil Diego Cisneros a sus 100 años Gustavo Cisneros
 
Perfil Diego Cisneros a sus 100 años
Perfil Diego Cisneros a sus 100 añosPerfil Diego Cisneros a sus 100 años
Perfil Diego Cisneros a sus 100 añosAdriana Cisneros
 
Gustavo Cisneros’ speech in AEF´s Honors Night
Gustavo Cisneros’ speech in AEF´s  Honors Night Gustavo Cisneros’ speech in AEF´s  Honors Night
Gustavo Cisneros’ speech in AEF´s Honors Night Gustavo Cisneros
 
Adriana Cisneros - Entrevista The Miami Herald
Adriana Cisneros - Entrevista The Miami HeraldAdriana Cisneros - Entrevista The Miami Herald
Adriana Cisneros - Entrevista The Miami HeraldAdriana Cisneros
 
Adriana Cisneros: la mujer que comanda la revolución de la TV
Adriana Cisneros: la mujer que comanda la revolución de la TVAdriana Cisneros: la mujer que comanda la revolución de la TV
Adriana Cisneros: la mujer que comanda la revolución de la TVAdriana Cisneros
 
El empresario Gustavo Cisneros visita la provincia homónima de su apellido pa...
El empresario Gustavo Cisneros visita la provincia homónima de su apellido pa...El empresario Gustavo Cisneros visita la provincia homónima de su apellido pa...
El empresario Gustavo Cisneros visita la provincia homónima de su apellido pa...Gustavo Cisneros
 
Informe falsos positivos e impunidad. fedes
Informe falsos positivos e impunidad. fedesInforme falsos positivos e impunidad. fedes
Informe falsos positivos e impunidad. fedesfedesfedes
 
Los Cisneros: Rostros y rastros de una familia [1570 – 2015]- Introducción
Los Cisneros: Rostros y rastros de una familia [1570 – 2015]- IntroducciónLos Cisneros: Rostros y rastros de una familia [1570 – 2015]- Introducción
Los Cisneros: Rostros y rastros de una familia [1570 – 2015]- IntroducciónGustavo Cisneros
 
Adriana Cisneros y Gustavo Cisneros en entrevista con Bloomberg
Adriana Cisneros y Gustavo Cisneros en entrevista con BloombergAdriana Cisneros y Gustavo Cisneros en entrevista con Bloomberg
Adriana Cisneros y Gustavo Cisneros en entrevista con BloombergAdriana Cisneros
 
Exhortación Pastoral del Episcopado Venezolano Asamblea Ordinaria CIV
Exhortación Pastoral del Episcopado Venezolano Asamblea Ordinaria CIVExhortación Pastoral del Episcopado Venezolano Asamblea Ordinaria CIV
Exhortación Pastoral del Episcopado Venezolano Asamblea Ordinaria CIVGustavo Cisneros
 

Viewers also liked (17)

Top Businesswomen 2014
Top Businesswomen 2014Top Businesswomen 2014
Top Businesswomen 2014
 
Adriana Cisneros - Roundtable Discussion on Innovation and VC/PE Development ...
Adriana Cisneros - Roundtable Discussion on Innovation and VC/PE Development ...Adriana Cisneros - Roundtable Discussion on Innovation and VC/PE Development ...
Adriana Cisneros - Roundtable Discussion on Innovation and VC/PE Development ...
 
TRABAJO DE TECNICAS
TRABAJO DE TECNICASTRABAJO DE TECNICAS
TRABAJO DE TECNICAS
 
Metanomics Transcript April 7 2010
Metanomics Transcript April 7 2010Metanomics Transcript April 7 2010
Metanomics Transcript April 7 2010
 
Ensayo Plaza del sol
Ensayo Plaza del sol Ensayo Plaza del sol
Ensayo Plaza del sol
 
Gustavo Cisneros nombra a Adriana Cisneros como nueva CEO de la Organización ...
Gustavo Cisneros nombra a Adriana Cisneros como nueva CEO de la Organización ...Gustavo Cisneros nombra a Adriana Cisneros como nueva CEO de la Organización ...
Gustavo Cisneros nombra a Adriana Cisneros como nueva CEO de la Organización ...
 
Proceso de evaluacion
Proceso de evaluacionProceso de evaluacion
Proceso de evaluacion
 
Perfil Diego Cisneros a sus 100 años
Perfil Diego Cisneros a sus 100 años Perfil Diego Cisneros a sus 100 años
Perfil Diego Cisneros a sus 100 años
 
Perfil Diego Cisneros a sus 100 años
Perfil Diego Cisneros a sus 100 añosPerfil Diego Cisneros a sus 100 años
Perfil Diego Cisneros a sus 100 años
 
Gustavo Cisneros’ speech in AEF´s Honors Night
Gustavo Cisneros’ speech in AEF´s  Honors Night Gustavo Cisneros’ speech in AEF´s  Honors Night
Gustavo Cisneros’ speech in AEF´s Honors Night
 
Adriana Cisneros - Entrevista The Miami Herald
Adriana Cisneros - Entrevista The Miami HeraldAdriana Cisneros - Entrevista The Miami Herald
Adriana Cisneros - Entrevista The Miami Herald
 
Adriana Cisneros: la mujer que comanda la revolución de la TV
Adriana Cisneros: la mujer que comanda la revolución de la TVAdriana Cisneros: la mujer que comanda la revolución de la TV
Adriana Cisneros: la mujer que comanda la revolución de la TV
 
El empresario Gustavo Cisneros visita la provincia homónima de su apellido pa...
El empresario Gustavo Cisneros visita la provincia homónima de su apellido pa...El empresario Gustavo Cisneros visita la provincia homónima de su apellido pa...
El empresario Gustavo Cisneros visita la provincia homónima de su apellido pa...
 
Informe falsos positivos e impunidad. fedes
Informe falsos positivos e impunidad. fedesInforme falsos positivos e impunidad. fedes
Informe falsos positivos e impunidad. fedes
 
Los Cisneros: Rostros y rastros de una familia [1570 – 2015]- Introducción
Los Cisneros: Rostros y rastros de una familia [1570 – 2015]- IntroducciónLos Cisneros: Rostros y rastros de una familia [1570 – 2015]- Introducción
Los Cisneros: Rostros y rastros de una familia [1570 – 2015]- Introducción
 
Adriana Cisneros y Gustavo Cisneros en entrevista con Bloomberg
Adriana Cisneros y Gustavo Cisneros en entrevista con BloombergAdriana Cisneros y Gustavo Cisneros en entrevista con Bloomberg
Adriana Cisneros y Gustavo Cisneros en entrevista con Bloomberg
 
Exhortación Pastoral del Episcopado Venezolano Asamblea Ordinaria CIV
Exhortación Pastoral del Episcopado Venezolano Asamblea Ordinaria CIVExhortación Pastoral del Episcopado Venezolano Asamblea Ordinaria CIV
Exhortación Pastoral del Episcopado Venezolano Asamblea Ordinaria CIV
 

Similar to Women in business report (IBR 2013)

Break The Crisis And Complacency Cycle
Break The Crisis And Complacency CycleBreak The Crisis And Complacency Cycle
Break The Crisis And Complacency CycleDan Deavel
 
Talent Shortage
Talent ShortageTalent Shortage
Talent Shortagetraciauger
 
Women in business (IBR 2014)
Women in business (IBR 2014)Women in business (IBR 2014)
Women in business (IBR 2014)Grant Thornton
 
Digital Women: from geeks to mainstream
Digital Women: from geeks to mainstreamDigital Women: from geeks to mainstream
Digital Women: from geeks to mainstreamTaly Weiss
 
2011 Talent Shortage Survey Us
2011 Talent Shortage Survey Us2011 Talent Shortage Survey Us
2011 Talent Shortage Survey Usrtchapman
 
IBR - Women in business
IBR - Women in businessIBR - Women in business
IBR - Women in businessMisbah Hussain
 
Women in Higher Ed in Ohio
Women in Higher Ed in OhioWomen in Higher Ed in Ohio
Women in Higher Ed in OhioJulie Graber
 
The New Business Imperative: Recruiting, Developing and Retaining Women in th...
The New Business Imperative: Recruiting, Developing and Retaining Women in th...The New Business Imperative: Recruiting, Developing and Retaining Women in th...
The New Business Imperative: Recruiting, Developing and Retaining Women in th...Kip Michael Kelly
 
2017 Women in the Workplace - Full presentation
2017 Women in the Workplace - Full presentation2017 Women in the Workplace - Full presentation
2017 Women in the Workplace - Full presentationMcKinsey & Company
 
Structuring a social_media_team
Structuring a social_media_teamStructuring a social_media_team
Structuring a social_media_teamAref Jdey
 
women-matter-portugal-2023-women-are-still-far-from-top-corporate-leadership-...
women-matter-portugal-2023-women-are-still-far-from-top-corporate-leadership-...women-matter-portugal-2023-women-are-still-far-from-top-corporate-leadership-...
women-matter-portugal-2023-women-are-still-far-from-top-corporate-leadership-...BrunaResende26
 
2022 Women in the Workplace Briefing
2022 Women in the Workplace Briefing2022 Women in the Workplace Briefing
2022 Women in the Workplace BriefingMcKinsey & Company
 
Women Managers Vs India and US Managers
Women Managers Vs India and US ManagersWomen Managers Vs India and US Managers
Women Managers Vs India and US ManagersRana El-Sherbiny
 
Linkedin diversity-inclusion-report: Moving the Needle for Women Leaders
Linkedin diversity-inclusion-report: Moving the Needle for Women LeadersLinkedin diversity-inclusion-report: Moving the Needle for Women Leaders
Linkedin diversity-inclusion-report: Moving the Needle for Women LeadersLaura Blackwell
 

Similar to Women in business report (IBR 2013) (20)

rinky.docx
rinky.docxrinky.docx
rinky.docx
 
Break The Crisis And Complacency Cycle
Break The Crisis And Complacency CycleBreak The Crisis And Complacency Cycle
Break The Crisis And Complacency Cycle
 
Talent Shortage
Talent ShortageTalent Shortage
Talent Shortage
 
From classroom to boardroom (IBR 2014)
From classroom to boardroom (IBR 2014)From classroom to boardroom (IBR 2014)
From classroom to boardroom (IBR 2014)
 
Women in business (IBR 2014)
Women in business (IBR 2014)Women in business (IBR 2014)
Women in business (IBR 2014)
 
Digital Women: from geeks to mainstream
Digital Women: from geeks to mainstreamDigital Women: from geeks to mainstream
Digital Women: from geeks to mainstream
 
2011 Talent Shortage Survey Us
2011 Talent Shortage Survey Us2011 Talent Shortage Survey Us
2011 Talent Shortage Survey Us
 
IBR - Women in business
IBR - Women in businessIBR - Women in business
IBR - Women in business
 
Women in management
Women in managementWomen in management
Women in management
 
Women in Higher Ed in Ohio
Women in Higher Ed in OhioWomen in Higher Ed in Ohio
Women in Higher Ed in Ohio
 
The New Business Imperative: Recruiting, Developing and Retaining Women in th...
The New Business Imperative: Recruiting, Developing and Retaining Women in th...The New Business Imperative: Recruiting, Developing and Retaining Women in th...
The New Business Imperative: Recruiting, Developing and Retaining Women in th...
 
2017 Women in the Workplace - Full presentation
2017 Women in the Workplace - Full presentation2017 Women in the Workplace - Full presentation
2017 Women in the Workplace - Full presentation
 
Structuring a Social Media Team
Structuring a Social Media TeamStructuring a Social Media Team
Structuring a Social Media Team
 
Structuring a social_media_team
Structuring a social_media_teamStructuring a social_media_team
Structuring a social_media_team
 
women-matter-portugal-2023-women-are-still-far-from-top-corporate-leadership-...
women-matter-portugal-2023-women-are-still-far-from-top-corporate-leadership-...women-matter-portugal-2023-women-are-still-far-from-top-corporate-leadership-...
women-matter-portugal-2023-women-are-still-far-from-top-corporate-leadership-...
 
2022 Women in the Workplace Briefing
2022 Women in the Workplace Briefing2022 Women in the Workplace Briefing
2022 Women in the Workplace Briefing
 
Women Managers Vs India and US Managers
Women Managers Vs India and US ManagersWomen Managers Vs India and US Managers
Women Managers Vs India and US Managers
 
Women in senior_positions_geo[1]
Women in senior_positions_geo[1]Women in senior_positions_geo[1]
Women in senior_positions_geo[1]
 
Women in senior_positions_geo[1]
Women in senior_positions_geo[1]Women in senior_positions_geo[1]
Women in senior_positions_geo[1]
 
Linkedin diversity-inclusion-report: Moving the Needle for Women Leaders
Linkedin diversity-inclusion-report: Moving the Needle for Women LeadersLinkedin diversity-inclusion-report: Moving the Needle for Women Leaders
Linkedin diversity-inclusion-report: Moving the Needle for Women Leaders
 

More from Grant Thornton International Ltd

Sustainability: changing the debate in emerging markets (IBR 2014)
Sustainability: changing the debate in emerging markets (IBR 2014)Sustainability: changing the debate in emerging markets (IBR 2014)
Sustainability: changing the debate in emerging markets (IBR 2014)Grant Thornton International Ltd
 
Corporate social responsibility: beyond financials (IBR 2014)
Corporate social responsibility: beyond financials (IBR 2014)Corporate social responsibility: beyond financials (IBR 2014)
Corporate social responsibility: beyond financials (IBR 2014)Grant Thornton International Ltd
 
Growing communities: How charity leaders govern social media globally to thr...
Growing communities:  How charity leaders govern social media globally to thr...Growing communities:  How charity leaders govern social media globally to thr...
Growing communities: How charity leaders govern social media globally to thr...Grant Thornton International Ltd
 
Brazilian businesses substitute hope for doubt over World Cup legacy
Brazilian businesses substitute hope for doubt over World Cup legacyBrazilian businesses substitute hope for doubt over World Cup legacy
Brazilian businesses substitute hope for doubt over World Cup legacyGrant Thornton International Ltd
 
Standing up to scrutiny: Balancing the risks and rewards in transfer pricing ...
Standing up to scrutiny: Balancing the risks and rewards in transfer pricing ...Standing up to scrutiny: Balancing the risks and rewards in transfer pricing ...
Standing up to scrutiny: Balancing the risks and rewards in transfer pricing ...Grant Thornton International Ltd
 

More from Grant Thornton International Ltd (20)

The future of Europe (IBR 2015)
The future of Europe (IBR 2015)The future of Europe (IBR 2015)
The future of Europe (IBR 2015)
 
Global business optimism infographic (IBR Q1-2015)
Global business optimism infographic (IBR Q1-2015)Global business optimism infographic (IBR Q1-2015)
Global business optimism infographic (IBR Q1-2015)
 
Global M&A snapshot (IBR 2015)
Global M&A snapshot (IBR 2015)Global M&A snapshot (IBR 2015)
Global M&A snapshot (IBR 2015)
 
Women in business: the path to leadership
Women in business: the path to leadershipWomen in business: the path to leadership
Women in business: the path to leadership
 
The global economy in 2015
The global economy in 2015The global economy in 2015
The global economy in 2015
 
Global business optimism (IBR 2015)
Global business optimism (IBR 2015)Global business optimism (IBR 2015)
Global business optimism (IBR 2015)
 
Global Q3 business confidence (IBR 2014)
Global Q3 business confidence (IBR 2014)Global Q3 business confidence (IBR 2014)
Global Q3 business confidence (IBR 2014)
 
Sustainability: changing the debate in emerging markets (IBR 2014)
Sustainability: changing the debate in emerging markets (IBR 2014)Sustainability: changing the debate in emerging markets (IBR 2014)
Sustainability: changing the debate in emerging markets (IBR 2014)
 
Corporate social responsibility: beyond financials (IBR 2014)
Corporate social responsibility: beyond financials (IBR 2014)Corporate social responsibility: beyond financials (IBR 2014)
Corporate social responsibility: beyond financials (IBR 2014)
 
Getting to grips with the BEPS Action Plan
Getting to grips with the BEPS Action PlanGetting to grips with the BEPS Action Plan
Getting to grips with the BEPS Action Plan
 
Growing communities: How charity leaders govern social media globally to thr...
Growing communities:  How charity leaders govern social media globally to thr...Growing communities:  How charity leaders govern social media globally to thr...
Growing communities: How charity leaders govern social media globally to thr...
 
Q2 global optimism infographic (IBR 2014)
Q2 global optimism infographic (IBR 2014)Q2 global optimism infographic (IBR 2014)
Q2 global optimism infographic (IBR 2014)
 
Brazilian businesses substitute hope for doubt over World Cup legacy
Brazilian businesses substitute hope for doubt over World Cup legacyBrazilian businesses substitute hope for doubt over World Cup legacy
Brazilian businesses substitute hope for doubt over World Cup legacy
 
The future of Europe (IBR 2014)
The future of Europe (IBR 2014)The future of Europe (IBR 2014)
The future of Europe (IBR 2014)
 
Outsourcing: driving efficiency and growth
Outsourcing: driving efficiency and growthOutsourcing: driving efficiency and growth
Outsourcing: driving efficiency and growth
 
Poland: dynamism at the heart of Europe (IBR 2014)
Poland: dynamism at the heart of Europe (IBR 2014)Poland: dynamism at the heart of Europe (IBR 2014)
Poland: dynamism at the heart of Europe (IBR 2014)
 
Standing up to scrutiny: Balancing the risks and rewards in transfer pricing ...
Standing up to scrutiny: Balancing the risks and rewards in transfer pricing ...Standing up to scrutiny: Balancing the risks and rewards in transfer pricing ...
Standing up to scrutiny: Balancing the risks and rewards in transfer pricing ...
 
Global Q1 business optimism (IBR 2014)
Global Q1 business optimism (IBR 2014)Global Q1 business optimism (IBR 2014)
Global Q1 business optimism (IBR 2014)
 
Focus on UAE (IBR 2014)
Focus on UAE (IBR 2014)Focus on UAE (IBR 2014)
Focus on UAE (IBR 2014)
 
Global expatriate tax guide
Global expatriate tax guideGlobal expatriate tax guide
Global expatriate tax guide
 

Recently uploaded

Call US-88OO1O2216 Call Girls In Mahipalpur Female Escort Service
Call US-88OO1O2216 Call Girls In Mahipalpur Female Escort ServiceCall US-88OO1O2216 Call Girls In Mahipalpur Female Escort Service
Call US-88OO1O2216 Call Girls In Mahipalpur Female Escort Servicecallgirls2057
 
MAHA Global and IPR: Do Actions Speak Louder Than Words?
MAHA Global and IPR: Do Actions Speak Louder Than Words?MAHA Global and IPR: Do Actions Speak Louder Than Words?
MAHA Global and IPR: Do Actions Speak Louder Than Words?Olivia Kresic
 
Marketplace and Quality Assurance Presentation - Vincent Chirchir
Marketplace and Quality Assurance Presentation - Vincent ChirchirMarketplace and Quality Assurance Presentation - Vincent Chirchir
Marketplace and Quality Assurance Presentation - Vincent Chirchirictsugar
 
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Tughlakabad Delhi NCR
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Tughlakabad Delhi NCR8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Tughlakabad Delhi NCR
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Tughlakabad Delhi NCRashishs7044
 
PSCC - Capability Statement Presentation
PSCC - Capability Statement PresentationPSCC - Capability Statement Presentation
PSCC - Capability Statement PresentationAnamaria Contreras
 
Independent Call Girls Andheri Nightlaila 9967584737
Independent Call Girls Andheri Nightlaila 9967584737Independent Call Girls Andheri Nightlaila 9967584737
Independent Call Girls Andheri Nightlaila 9967584737Riya Pathan
 
Investment in The Coconut Industry by Nancy Cheruiyot
Investment in The Coconut Industry by Nancy CheruiyotInvestment in The Coconut Industry by Nancy Cheruiyot
Investment in The Coconut Industry by Nancy Cheruiyotictsugar
 
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Rohini Delhi NCR
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Rohini Delhi NCR8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Rohini Delhi NCR
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Rohini Delhi NCRashishs7044
 
Case study on tata clothing brand zudio in detail
Case study on tata clothing brand zudio in detailCase study on tata clothing brand zudio in detail
Case study on tata clothing brand zudio in detailAriel592675
 
NewBase 19 April 2024 Energy News issue - 1717 by Khaled Al Awadi.pdf
NewBase  19 April  2024  Energy News issue - 1717 by Khaled Al Awadi.pdfNewBase  19 April  2024  Energy News issue - 1717 by Khaled Al Awadi.pdf
NewBase 19 April 2024 Energy News issue - 1717 by Khaled Al Awadi.pdfKhaled Al Awadi
 
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Saket Delhi NCR
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Saket Delhi NCR8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Saket Delhi NCR
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Saket Delhi NCRashishs7044
 
Organizational Structure Running A Successful Business
Organizational Structure Running A Successful BusinessOrganizational Structure Running A Successful Business
Organizational Structure Running A Successful BusinessSeta Wicaksana
 
FULL ENJOY Call girls in Paharganj Delhi | 8377087607
FULL ENJOY Call girls in Paharganj Delhi | 8377087607FULL ENJOY Call girls in Paharganj Delhi | 8377087607
FULL ENJOY Call girls in Paharganj Delhi | 8377087607dollysharma2066
 
Islamabad Escorts | Call 03070433345 | Escort Service in Islamabad
Islamabad Escorts | Call 03070433345 | Escort Service in IslamabadIslamabad Escorts | Call 03070433345 | Escort Service in Islamabad
Islamabad Escorts | Call 03070433345 | Escort Service in IslamabadAyesha Khan
 
Market Sizes Sample Report - 2024 Edition
Market Sizes Sample Report - 2024 EditionMarket Sizes Sample Report - 2024 Edition
Market Sizes Sample Report - 2024 EditionMintel Group
 
Ms Motilal Padampat Sugar Mills vs. State of Uttar Pradesh & Ors. - A Milesto...
Ms Motilal Padampat Sugar Mills vs. State of Uttar Pradesh & Ors. - A Milesto...Ms Motilal Padampat Sugar Mills vs. State of Uttar Pradesh & Ors. - A Milesto...
Ms Motilal Padampat Sugar Mills vs. State of Uttar Pradesh & Ors. - A Milesto...ShrutiBose4
 
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Kotla Mubarakpur Delhi NCR
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Kotla Mubarakpur Delhi NCR8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Kotla Mubarakpur Delhi NCR
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Kotla Mubarakpur Delhi NCRashishs7044
 
Traction part 2 - EOS Model JAX Bridges.
Traction part 2 - EOS Model JAX Bridges.Traction part 2 - EOS Model JAX Bridges.
Traction part 2 - EOS Model JAX Bridges.Anamaria Contreras
 

Recently uploaded (20)

Call US-88OO1O2216 Call Girls In Mahipalpur Female Escort Service
Call US-88OO1O2216 Call Girls In Mahipalpur Female Escort ServiceCall US-88OO1O2216 Call Girls In Mahipalpur Female Escort Service
Call US-88OO1O2216 Call Girls In Mahipalpur Female Escort Service
 
MAHA Global and IPR: Do Actions Speak Louder Than Words?
MAHA Global and IPR: Do Actions Speak Louder Than Words?MAHA Global and IPR: Do Actions Speak Louder Than Words?
MAHA Global and IPR: Do Actions Speak Louder Than Words?
 
Marketplace and Quality Assurance Presentation - Vincent Chirchir
Marketplace and Quality Assurance Presentation - Vincent ChirchirMarketplace and Quality Assurance Presentation - Vincent Chirchir
Marketplace and Quality Assurance Presentation - Vincent Chirchir
 
Enjoy ➥8448380779▻ Call Girls In Sector 18 Noida Escorts Delhi NCR
Enjoy ➥8448380779▻ Call Girls In Sector 18 Noida Escorts Delhi NCREnjoy ➥8448380779▻ Call Girls In Sector 18 Noida Escorts Delhi NCR
Enjoy ➥8448380779▻ Call Girls In Sector 18 Noida Escorts Delhi NCR
 
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Tughlakabad Delhi NCR
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Tughlakabad Delhi NCR8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Tughlakabad Delhi NCR
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Tughlakabad Delhi NCR
 
PSCC - Capability Statement Presentation
PSCC - Capability Statement PresentationPSCC - Capability Statement Presentation
PSCC - Capability Statement Presentation
 
Independent Call Girls Andheri Nightlaila 9967584737
Independent Call Girls Andheri Nightlaila 9967584737Independent Call Girls Andheri Nightlaila 9967584737
Independent Call Girls Andheri Nightlaila 9967584737
 
Investment in The Coconut Industry by Nancy Cheruiyot
Investment in The Coconut Industry by Nancy CheruiyotInvestment in The Coconut Industry by Nancy Cheruiyot
Investment in The Coconut Industry by Nancy Cheruiyot
 
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Rohini Delhi NCR
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Rohini Delhi NCR8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Rohini Delhi NCR
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Rohini Delhi NCR
 
Case study on tata clothing brand zudio in detail
Case study on tata clothing brand zudio in detailCase study on tata clothing brand zudio in detail
Case study on tata clothing brand zudio in detail
 
NewBase 19 April 2024 Energy News issue - 1717 by Khaled Al Awadi.pdf
NewBase  19 April  2024  Energy News issue - 1717 by Khaled Al Awadi.pdfNewBase  19 April  2024  Energy News issue - 1717 by Khaled Al Awadi.pdf
NewBase 19 April 2024 Energy News issue - 1717 by Khaled Al Awadi.pdf
 
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Saket Delhi NCR
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Saket Delhi NCR8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Saket Delhi NCR
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Saket Delhi NCR
 
Organizational Structure Running A Successful Business
Organizational Structure Running A Successful BusinessOrganizational Structure Running A Successful Business
Organizational Structure Running A Successful Business
 
FULL ENJOY Call girls in Paharganj Delhi | 8377087607
FULL ENJOY Call girls in Paharganj Delhi | 8377087607FULL ENJOY Call girls in Paharganj Delhi | 8377087607
FULL ENJOY Call girls in Paharganj Delhi | 8377087607
 
Islamabad Escorts | Call 03070433345 | Escort Service in Islamabad
Islamabad Escorts | Call 03070433345 | Escort Service in IslamabadIslamabad Escorts | Call 03070433345 | Escort Service in Islamabad
Islamabad Escorts | Call 03070433345 | Escort Service in Islamabad
 
Market Sizes Sample Report - 2024 Edition
Market Sizes Sample Report - 2024 EditionMarket Sizes Sample Report - 2024 Edition
Market Sizes Sample Report - 2024 Edition
 
Call Us ➥9319373153▻Call Girls In North Goa
Call Us ➥9319373153▻Call Girls In North GoaCall Us ➥9319373153▻Call Girls In North Goa
Call Us ➥9319373153▻Call Girls In North Goa
 
Ms Motilal Padampat Sugar Mills vs. State of Uttar Pradesh & Ors. - A Milesto...
Ms Motilal Padampat Sugar Mills vs. State of Uttar Pradesh & Ors. - A Milesto...Ms Motilal Padampat Sugar Mills vs. State of Uttar Pradesh & Ors. - A Milesto...
Ms Motilal Padampat Sugar Mills vs. State of Uttar Pradesh & Ors. - A Milesto...
 
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Kotla Mubarakpur Delhi NCR
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Kotla Mubarakpur Delhi NCR8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Kotla Mubarakpur Delhi NCR
8447779800, Low rate Call girls in Kotla Mubarakpur Delhi NCR
 
Traction part 2 - EOS Model JAX Bridges.
Traction part 2 - EOS Model JAX Bridges.Traction part 2 - EOS Model JAX Bridges.
Traction part 2 - EOS Model JAX Bridges.
 

Women in business report (IBR 2013)

  • 1. Women in senior management: setting the stage for growth Grant Thornton International Business Report 2013 19% 24% 24% 20% 21% 24% 2004 2007 2009 2011 2012 2013
  • 2. This report, based on the latest research from the International Business Report (IBR), explores the global shift in the number of women at the top of the business world and examines ways to make this growth permanent and parity possible. Key findings from the survey include: • women hold 24% of senior management roles globally, a three point increase over the previous year • there has been a sharp rise in China, with 51% of senior management positions held by women, compared to 25% last year • the proportion of businesses employing women as CEOs has risen from 9% to 14% • education and talent management may work in tandem with flexible work arrangements, which 67% of respondents offer, to increase the number of women in top leadership • just 19% of board roles around the world are held by women • although quotas have been put into place around the globe to increase women’s participation in boards, 55% of respondents oppose such quotas. Changing perceptions FIGURE 1: PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN IN SENIOR MANAGEMENT Over the past year, women have grabbed headlines in every industry and every corner of the globe. In the arts, more female directors, producers and writers were able to get their work into cinemas, television and theatre. In politics, an increasing number of women won elections: South Korea, for instance, recently swore in its first female president. Approximately 17 countries have women as head of government, head of state or both (a number that, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union and 21% North America UN Women, has more than doubled since 2005), and the world average for women in parliament totaled 20.4% as of 1 February 20131. The corporate world also saw firsts: Marissa Mayer broke ground when she took the helm of Yahoo more than six months pregnant. Women breaking barriers was the conversation of the year – from the much-discussed piece in The Atlantic, “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” by a Princeton professor and former US State Department official, Anne-Marie Slaughter, to Facebook’s chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg and her new tome, “Lean In: Women, Work and the 23% Will to Lead”, which addresses how women can Latin America succeed in the face of gender barriers. Via ‘Lean In’ circles, Sandberg proposes to gather women to share their stories and create strategies for climbing the corporate ladder. 1 http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/world.htm SOURCE: GRANT THORNTON IBR 2013 2 Women in senior management
  • 3. WOMEN AS PERCENTAGE OF SENIOR MANAGEMENT – GLOBAL WOMEN AS PERCENTAGE OF WORKFORCE – GLOBAL AVERAGE AVERAGE % % 24 35 31% Russia 24% Nordic 25% % Europe 51 China 19% 7% % 30 Turkey India Japan 32% 22% 28% South Africa ASEAN Australia 28% New Zealand Women in senior management 3
  • 4. The benefits of parity FIGURE 2: WOMEN IN SENIOR MANAGEMENT AROUND THE WORLD: TOP 10 The conversation continues as to whether women will ever reach parity with men in the workforce. Though the past 40 years have seen a massive generational shift, with more women China (mainlan entering the workforce across the globe, more needs to be done to advance women to senior leadership positions. Pola In 2012, though women comprised over a third of the nd 4 Lat workforce in the United States, they held a mere 14.3 percent 8% via 51% d) 43 of executive officer positions at Fortune 500 companies and Es % to only 8.1 percent of executive officer top-earner positions2. Of nia Lit 40 hu the FTSE 100, women held only 15% of board seats and 6.6% an % ia 40 of executive positions in 20123. In the Asia Pacific region, the % Phil percentage of women on boards was about half that in Europe, ippi nes 37% Australia and North America4. Georgia The promising news is that the number of women in 37% leadership roles is growing. The IBR survey, which includes Thailand 36% both listed and privately held businesses, indicates a 3% increase in the number of women in senior management positions from % m 33 Vietna 2011 to 2012, with 24% of businesses with women in senior 32 % ana management roles globally in 2012 (compared to 21% in 2011). Bo tsw And more people are taking note that gender diversity at board and senior management positions promotes corporate growth. A recent McKinsey review of 100 companies against SOURCE: GRANT THORNTON IBR 2013 the Organizational Health Index (OHI) found that companies with three or more women in top positions (on the executive FIGURE 3: WOMEN IN SENIOR MANAGEMENT AROUND THE WORLD: committee or board) scored higher than their peers5. In a BOTTOM 10 similar vein, another report concluded that the “overall median proportion of female executives was 7.1% at successful companies and 3.1% at unsuccessful companies, Spain 21% Irela demonstrating the value that having more females can US nd 2 potentially bring to a management team…for start-ups with 20 UK 1% % 19 five or more females, 61% were successful and only 39% Ind % ia failed”6. In another study tracking results from Fortune 500 19 % Arg companies from 2004 to 2008, those companies with the most enti na 1 8% women board directors outperformed those with the least by Switz. 1 4% at least 16% in terms of return on sales and 26% in terms of Netherl. 11% return on invested capital7. 1% Nancy McKinstry, the first woman to run 175-year-old UAE 1 7% an Dutch publisher Wolters Kluwer, believes that diversity drives Jap results, and she has helped draw women to leadership positions since she stepped up as CEO in 2003. Back then, SOURCE: GRANT THORNTON IBR 2013 women held only 20% of top leadership posts at Wolters Kluwer; ten years later, it’s 33%. Says McKinstry, “We’ve been able to attract female talent because they see women leading different parts of the company. Diversity helps; it is a self- fulfilling prophecy.” 2 2012 Catalyst Census Fortune 500 Women Executive Officers and Top Earners 3 Ruth Sealy and Susan Vinnicombe, “The Female FTSE Board Report 2012: Milestone or Millstone?” (Cranfield University, 2012). 4 “Mind the Gap: Half of Asia’s Boards Have No Women, a Risky Position for Governance and Growth,” by Alicia Yi (2011). 5 “Unlocking the Full Potential of Women in the U.S. Economy,” special report produced by McKinsey exclusively for the Wall Street Journal Executive Task Force for Women in the Economy 2011, by Joanna Barsh and Lareina Yee. 6 “Women at the Wheel: Do Female Executives Drive Start-up Success?” by 7 “The Bottom Line: Corporate Performance and Women’s Representation on Boards (2004–2008),” by Nancy M. Carter and Harvey M. Wagner (2011). 4 Women in senior management
  • 5. “We’ve been able to attract female talent because they see women leading different parts of the company. Diversity helps; it is a self-fulfilling prophecy.” NANCY MCKINSTRY WOLTERS KLUWER A shifting landscape of opportunity This is not the case in more patriarchal societies The increase in the number of senior management like Japan (7%), United Arab Emirates (11%), and positions occupied by women takes the ratio back Argentina (18%). up to the levels that preceded the global recession. In Latin America, cultural issues tend to keep The slump hit women disproportionately, and only women from ascending to senior management now is a turnaround at hand8. The increase from ranks – the number is 23%, unchanged from last 21% of women in senior management in 2011 to year. Indeed, 38% of companies in Latin America 24% in 2012 is a significant improvement, have no women at all in senior management. occurring in parallel with the recovery (albeit tepid) Softtek president and CEO Blanca Treviño tells of the global economy. Grant Thornton/Forbes Insights, “Softtek has Regionally, Asia Pacific leads with 29% of offices in Asia, Europe, Latin America and in the senior leadership positions held by women, United States, and probably the toughest one is compared to 25% in the European Union, 23% in Latin America. Even in Softtek, I cannot deny that Latin America and 21% in North America. there is a culture issue. If you think about Latin The country ahead of the pack in Asia is China, America and very specifically about Mexico, even at with 51% of senior management positions held by a family level, the husband is the boss. When you women, compared to 25% last year. go and work for a company, one of the things that “Women have more and more opportunities is difficult for men is to see that the boss is going to now. Their talent and intelligence are much more be a woman. Sometimes a woman feels that she respected at higher-level positions,” Mei Hui, board cannot be the boss of 10 or 20 different men.” secretary of the China Financial Futures Exchange, Despite much negative press coming from India tells GrantThornton/Forbes Insights. “In my with respect to gender relations, the country might experience, the proportion of women in senior prove to be the next leader. With only 15% of the management has definitely increased over the last total employee base occupied by women, 42% of five years. Women’s power in China is increasing. survey respondents said they had plans to hire more Still, we have further to go, and it would help if women, especially in senior positions. companies and institutions offered more “Definitely the number of women on top in opportunities for women to develop.” banking and finance has increased. Women are Former Eastern bloc countries including Poland getting earlier career breaks as well. Women who (48%), Latvia (43%), and Estonia and Lithuania dropped out are being called back by their old (both 40%) also have healthy representations of companies. The economy is growing and the women occupying senior decision-making roles. demand for good executives is ongoing,” explains Kaku Nakhate, the president and country head of Bank of America Merrill Lynch India. 8 “The Demographics of the Job Recovery,” by Rakesh Kochhar, Pew Hispanic Center (March 21, 2012). Women in senior management 5
  • 6. “If there can be more planning and implementation of programmes and policies to offer more opportunities for women, including internships for female students, apprenticeships and promotion structures, this would help women in the corporate hierarchy.” MEI HUI CHINA FINANCIAL FUTURES EXCHANGE Education: the leap forward Since the early 1990s, in the United States The consensus is that change begins with education. women have been attaining bachelor’s degrees in far According to a recent World Bank report, there are greater numbers than their male counterparts10. are more women than men studying in universities According to the census, 2010 was the first year in in 60 countries it researched9. which women earned more advanced degrees than The same report attributes the great strides in men. In the European Union, 60 percent of women’s participation in the labour force to graduates from universities in the Union’s 27 increased education. Specifically in Colombia, member states last year were women11. higher education led to the steepest increase in Elizabeth Truelove McDermott, the vice women’s labour force participation as well as president of Audit, Ethics and Compliance Services at representation in senior managerial positions. This DeVry, says that her master’s degree and CPA shaped could provide an example for Latin America, where her career. “I finished my CPA when companies just 32% of total employees are female, according had to start complying with the Sarbanes-Oxley to the IBR survey, and only 15% of survey Act [regulation passed in 2002 to improve financial respondents say they plan to hire more women in disclosures from corporations and prevent fraud]. senior management. The new career path helped my talent to grow.” Explains Blanca Treviño: “Forty years ago or Those women who stay ahead of the game with [in] my mother’s generation, in Mexico, women the rapid pace of technology change will have an were not expected to go to university; you were advantage when senior management positions open supposed to get married. The percentage of women up. “You always have to be open to continually in university at that time was 20 to 25 percent. develop your skills,” advises Wolters Kluwer CEO Today, you will see 45 percent. That will have an McKinstry. “For me, getting my MBA gave me a impact on the work level. You see more women whole tool kit.” looking to have a career. So yes, it is changing.” 9 World Bank 2012 World Development Report: Gender Equality and Development 10 Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends project, “Women See Value and Benefits of College; Men Lag on Both Fronts, Survey Finds,” by Wendy Wang and Kim Parker (August 17, 2011). 11 European Commission data: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Tertiary_education_statistics 6 Women in senior management
  • 7. FIGURE 4: CHINA LEADING THE WAY PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN IN SENIOR MANAGEMENT China (mainland) 51 Poland 48 Latvia 43 “Women who dropped out are being called Estonia 40 back by their old companies. The economy is Lithuania 40 Philippines 37 growing and the demand for good executives Georgia 37 is ongoing.” Thailand 36 KAKU NAKHATE Vietnam 33 BANK OF AMERICA MERRILL LYNCH INDIA Botswana 32 Russia 31 Germany 31 Taiwan 31 Hong Kong 30 Turkey 30 Creating the pipeline for senior female managers Greece 30 Another key factor in promoting women in the workplace is South Africa 28 talent management. According to a McKinsey report, “If New Zealand 28 companies could raise the number of middle management Belgium 28 women who make it to the next level by 25%, it would Peru 27 significantly alter the shape of the pipeline. More women who make it to senior management share an aspiration to lead, and Singapore 27 more believe that getting to senior leadership is worth the Sweden 27 cost.12” Canada 27 McKinstry has instituted an innovation contest to spur Malaysia 26 thought leadership at Wolters Kluwer; this also allows her to France 26 see the pool of candidates coming up the pike and gives more input to managers when they are seeking people to promote. Global 24 Participation in the innovation programme indicates a passion Finland 24 for work and a dedication to put in the extra hours – both of Italy 24 which are necessary for advancement to senior positions, adds Denmark 23 McKinstry. Brazil 23 The problem is typically that in this mid-career space, women are leaving companies to start families, and companies Mexico 23 need to find solutions to keep the pipeline strong. Armenia 23 Programmes that focus on nurturing talent are critical. Mei Australia 22 Hui recommends internships, apprenticeships and tailored Chile 22 career paths. “Generally, it would be best if the men in charge Norway 22 could increase opportunities for women. If there can be more planning and implementation of programmes and policies to Spain 21 offer more opportunities for women, including internships for Ireland 21 female students, apprenticeships and promotion structures, United States 20 this would help women in the corporate hierarchy. Men United Kingdom 19 should be more supportive and more caring about the women India 19 in the workforce and create an atmosphere for mutual respect,” she explains. In China in particular, such policies are Argentina 18 crucial; 71% of companies surveyed in China do not offer Switzerland 14 flexible working options. Netherlands 11 United Arab Emirates 11 12 “Unlocking the Full Potential of Women in the U.S. Economy,” special report produced by Japan 7 McKinsey exclusively for the Wall Street Journal Executive Task Force for Women in the Economy 2011, by Joanna Barsh and Lareina Yee. SOURCE: GRANT THORNTON IBR 2013 Women in senior management 7
  • 8. “We have been very good at capturing women [of] talent at the entry level, but the combination of industry characteristics and culture in Latin America creates a scenario that has proven to be tough for us in terms of retaining and developing this mid-level talent.” BLANCA TREVIÑO SOFTTEK Meanwhile, in India, where 49% of those to senior levels. The social and cultural environment surveyed say they offer flexible working options, in Latin America plays a big role. The industry in Kaku Nakhate says there is still much room for which we participate tends to be very demanding improvement: “There are certain infrastructural for mid-management levels. Regardless of gender, constraints that women executives who are rearing IT services demand very flexible hours and a lot of children face. Being provided flexible work hours, travel. We have been very good at capturing women for example, is very important, but all companies [of] talent at the entry level, but the combination of don’t offer that. Unfortunately, there are rigid industry characteristics and culture in Latin mindsets, mostly male, that don’t believe in giving America creates a scenario that has proven to be women opportunities or creating an environment tough for us in terms of retaining and developing where they can work and express themselves.” this mid-level talent.” On the flip side, flexible working conditions do If flextime is not available – globally only 67% not always lead to increased numbers and retention of respondents stated that they offered it – there of women in top jobs. In Denmark and Finland, may be other ways to keep women in the talent with 93% and 90% respectively offering flexible pool. India’s Kaku Nakhate admits, “I have spent work schedules, women represent only 23% and hours trying to persuade women not to quit and to 24% of senior management, and in both countries, take a sabbatical instead. As I said, we face drop- fewer than 10% of respondents said they were offs in the middle rungs, and if we can’t retain them seeking to hire more women into top roles over there, they can’t rise to the top.” the next 12 months. Corporate talent retention policies and flexible In the United States, where 72% of respondents work options are only one part of the puzzle. said they offered flexible working options, only Women who remain in the workforce in mid-career one-third of total employees are women. A recent and higher levels need to have strong support high-profile and much debated announcement from networks at home. All of the female executives Yahoo! CEO Melissa Mayer, rolling back the interviewed stated that family networks enabled company’s work-at-home policy, highlighted the them to climb the corporate ladder, even with intense debate over the value of flexible work rules. strong cultural biases working against them. Blanca A memo from Yahoo! human resources informed Treviño explains that not only are some women not employees that they would not be permitted to expected to work outside the home in Mexico, but work remotely because “speed and quality are often often other men harass the husbands of working sacrificed when we work from home.” women about why they allow their wives to work. Softtek CEO Treviño would like to implement Until such cultural perceptions change, it will be more flexible work options for employees, but she difficult to find the support women need to work believes that at senior management levels this is their way up the career ladder. difficult because of the travel and meeting requirements of those roles. “Softtek has not been as successful as I’d like to see in promoting women 8 Women in senior management
  • 9. Growth spurt: more female CEOs globally in FIGURE 5: TOP 5 AND BOTTOM 5 ECONOMIES WITH FEMALE CEOS ALL BUSINESSES WITH AT LEAST ONE WOMEN IN SENIOR MANAGEMENT 2013 than ever before Women are increasingly rising to the top. 14% of those businesses with women in their senior management teams, have a female CEO, up from Thailand: 49% 9% in 2012. Now 21 of the Fortune 500 CEOs are Denmark: 45% women, and Yahoo’s Melissa Mayer made headlines last summer with her appointment to the tech giant while she was pregnant. After a century of appointing male CEOs, IBM appointed Ginni Rometty as Germany: 40% chair, president and CEO. Making further inroads Latvia: 38% into traditionally male-dominated industries, in Japan: 29% 2013 Marillyn Hewson took the helm of defense contractor Lockheed Martin as president and CEO. Women are also increasing their presence in the C-suite. The top five positions where women enter India: Hong Kong: Poland: UK: 4% 4% 4% 4% Turkey: senior management – chief finance officer (31%), 2% human resources director (30%), corporate SOURCE: GRANT THORNTON IBR 2013 controller (14%), chief marketing officer (13%) and sales director (13%) – all saw increases in the number of women over the past year. As women take on greater roles in the C-suite, they’re better positioned for management to consider them for the top spot. A new study by ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and the Economic and Social Research Council from Cranfield School of Management indicates that women who have a finance background find more success on the corporate boards of FTSE companies; the report states that 45% of female executive directors are financially qualified and 65% in total have a financial background13. McKinstry does caution women not to pigeonhole themselves: “Too often women will go into roles that don’t show results. They take on more support functions, such as head of human resources or head of legal, rather than a line function. If you can demonstrate results, it is better for advancement.” Softtek’s Treviño sees travel as an obstacle for women juggling career and family and trying to “Travel presents difficulties for women climb the corporate ladder. “Travel presents – they need much more support from difficulties for women – they need much more support from their families if they want to reach their families if they want to reach senior positions, which imply travel. If you think senior positions.” about marketing or human resources or probably BLANCA TREVIÑO other departments, it’ll be much easier for us to say, SOFTTEK ‘OK, you can work from home or work part-time.’” 13 http://www.accaglobal.com/content/dam/acca/global/PDF- technical/human-capital/pol-tp-cgs.pdf Women in senior management 9
  • 10. FIGURE 6: TOP TITLES OCCUPIED BY WOMEN 2013 VS 2012 31 30 21 14 13 14 13 13 13 8 8 Chief Finance Officer Human Resources Director Corporate Chief Marketing Sales Controller Officer Director 2013 2012 SOURCE: GRANT THORNTON IBR 2013 The need to travel and the long hours required Despite the increase in the number of women in in senior leadership positions hold true across all senior leadership positions, and the move to industries, though some sectors see more women in improve programmes to promote women, top management than others. Healthcare leads the especially on corporate boards, quotas remain on pack with 45% of women in senior management, the table to move the process along. followed by education and social services (44%), Quotas for the number of women on boards hospitality (41%), cleantech (33%) and financial have many advocates: “The proof is in the pudding; services (29%). regulatory pressure works,” Viviane Reding, the Kaku Nakhate reveals that in India the banking EU justice commissioner, said in a statement to the industry offers a stable career for female executives: International Herald Tribune. In France, legislation “Banks are recognising that diversity is important, passed in January 2011 – requiring that within three as their customer universe is so diverse and half of years 20% of a company’s board members must be their clients are women. So they are seeking out women, rising to 40% in six years – led to an women, especially in front-end, client-facing jobs. increase in women directors, from 12.7% to 16.6% We offer flexible working hours and training in 2012. In fact, almost nine out of 10 companies in programmes, and allow women executives to go on France have at least one woman director. In sabbaticals. Banks are also developing mentoring Australia, following passage of a corporate networks within that can help women executives governance code amendment dealing with diversity, who are facing a career problem.” the proportion of women on corporate boards increased from 10.2 percent to 13.8 percent within Quotas: working but not favored two years15. Gender diversity on boards elevates companies in Globally, 55% of respondents surveyed said the eyes of investors, according to a recent study: that they would not support the introduction of “We find that the market reaction to female quotas for the number of women on executive appointees is, on average, positive and significant. boards of large listed companies, versus 37% who This suggests that the market does not perceive the would. The female executives we interviewed also appointment of female directors to be primarily view quotas with some unease. motivated by tokenism. Moreover, the average reaction for female appointees is roughly two percent higher than for male appointees even after controlling for other appointee characteristics, such as independence, expertise and qualifications.14” 14 “Does Gender Matter in the Boardroom? Evidence from the Market Reaction to Mandatory New Director Announcements,” by Renee B. Adams, University of New South Wales; Financial Research Network (FIRN); European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI), Stephen Gray, University of Queensland – Business School; Duke University – Fuqua School of Business; and John Nowland, City University of Hong Kong. 15 GMI Ratings’ 2012 Women on Boards Survey. 10 Women in senior management
  • 11. Says Blanca Treviño, “If there were quotas FIGURE 7: WOMEN ON BOARDS PERCENTAGE OF BOARD OF DIRECTOR ROLES HELD BY WOMEN involved, there would always be the question that you’re there not because you are the most qualified Russia 37 for that seat but because the company needed or Thailand 35 wanted to meet those quotas.” However, perhaps Philippines 34 because of the male-dominated business culture in Vietnam 30 Mexico, 65% of Mexican respondents said they would support the introduction of quotas. Latvia 30 In China, which leads the percentage of women Global 19 in senior management this year, 72% of respondents Brazil 13 favour board quotas to promote women. “For governmental organisations, it can definitely help. Malaysia 13 But for commercial sectors, we need to respect the UAE 12 market value. A certain percentage of women in the Switzerland 7 boardroom are very helpful for avoiding risk and making good business decisions,” says Mei Hui of Japan 7 the China Financial Futures Exchange. SOURCE: GRANT THORNTON IBR 2013 In India, where women are just coming up in the ranks, there is no consensus on quotas. Kaku Nakhate’s opinion reflects this dichotomy: But McKinstry and the other executives “Personally, I’m against quotas, because I believe in interviewed remain positive; the seeds of change have meritocracy, and that should not be compromised been planted and the 2013 IBR survey shows the for the sake of filling a board seat. If the woman results. Emerging markets in Asia and Latin America doesn’t deserve being on the board, what would she will see the greatest change in the years to come. contribute? Having said that, we need quotas so “I really see that the younger generation will that it sets a goalpost for companies. In India, we soon overtake us. There will be no glass ceiling for definitely need regulation as women are so poorly them. The younger generation—look at my represented on corporate boards.” daughter as an example—are very talented and very motivated. In the near future, they will be teaching Future outlook: positive us,” says Mei Hui. Significant obstacles remain to reaching parity in Blanca Treviño concurs: “In Latin America, the senior leadership posts and corporate boards. In her women who graduate from the universities today essay in The Atlantic, Anne-Marie Slaughter are going to be the professionals in five years and explored these challenges, especially those posed by will look for those senior positions in 10 years. It’s work-life balance. She sees no easy answers until not at the speed that we would like, but I do think there is a cultural shift recognising that women need that in 10 years, it will have improved.” more support16. “Expectations are higher of women,” says Wolters Thanks to the following: Kluwer’s McKinstry. “Women have to achieve better Mei Hui, board secretary, China Financial Futures Exchange results because there are fewer of them.” Elizabeth Truelove McDermott, vice president, Audit, Ethics and McKinstry adds that women face judgement Compliance Services, DeVry Nancy McKinstry, CEO and chairman of the executive board, based on the whole person, not just the company’s Wolters Kluwer performance, making scrutiny of female leaders Kaku Nakhate, president and country head, Bank of America Merrill even more acute: “Women are judged on how they Lynch India dress, how they look, their work-life balance.” Blanca Treviño, president and CEO, Softtek 16 http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/why-women-still- cant-have-it-all/309020/ Women in senior management 11
  • 12. The Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) is a quarterly survey of 3,500 senior executives in listed and privately-held businesses all over the world. Launched in 1992 in nine European countries the report now surveys 13,000 businesses leaders in 44 economies on an annual basis providing insights on the economic and commercial issues affecting companies globally. The data in this report are drawn from more than 6,500 interviews with business leaders from all industry sectors, conducted between November 2012 and February 2013. Additional in-depth interviews were conducted by Forbes Insights. To find out more about IBR and to obtain copies of reports and summaries visit: www.internationalbusinessreport.com. Participating economies Argentina Lithuania Armenia Malaysia Australia Mexico Belgium Netherlands Botswana New Zealand Brazil Norway Canada Peru Chile Philippines China (mainland) Poland Denmark Russia Estonia Singapore Finland South Africa France Spain Georgia Sweden Germany Switzerland Greece Taiwan Hong Kong Thailand India Turkey Ireland United Arab Emirates Italy United Kingdom Japan United States Latvia Vietnam IBR contacts April Mackenzie Dominic King Global head governance and public policy Global research manager T +1 212 542 9789 T +44 (0)207 391 9537 E april.mackenzie@us.gt.com E dominic.h.king@uk.gt.com www.gti.org Chief Insights Officer: Bruce Rogers www.internationalbusinessreport.com Manager, EMEA: Lawrence Bowden Report author: Tatiana Serafin © 2013 Grant Thornton International Ltd. All rights reserved. References to “Grant Thornton” are to the brand under which the Grant Forbes Insights is the strategic research practice of Forbes Media, Thornton member firms operate and refer to one or more member firms, publisher of Forbes magazine and Forbes.com. Taking advantage of a as the context requires. Grant Thornton International and the member firms proprietary database of senior-level executives in the Forbes community, are not a worldwide partnership. Services are delivered independently by Forbes Insights’ research covers a wide range of vital business issues, member firms, which are not responsible for the services or activities of one including: talent management; marketing; financial benchmarking; risk another. Grant Thornton International does not provide services to clients. and regulation; small/midsize business; and more.