GCC BDI’s Global Webinar Series supports women in accessing board seats

12 August 2021, Dubai - The GCC Board Directors Institute, together with the Caribbean Corporate Governance Institute, The Hong Kong Institute of Directors, Mauritius Institute of Directors, Institute of Directors New Zealand, and The Institute of Directors South Africa, have concluded a global webinar series which tackled key themes and issues surrounding women in governance positions.

The online Women in Governance Series, which ran through July and August, attracted senior directors from around the world and discussed the crucial roles women play in governance positions, their value, and how society can support more women in leadership roles, especially with access to the boardroom.

The series was divided up into three webinars including: Corporate Governance and Why Gender Matters, Women on Boards, and Corporate Governance Policies that Support Women. Key speakers included Robert Riley, retired chairman and CEO at BP, Helen Brand, chief executive, ACCA, and Ada Chung, Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong.

“Women aspire to leadership positions in various sectors of the economy, including government, public and private companies. However, they often face many challenges which prevent them from taking on leadership positions,” said Jane Valls, executive director at GCC BDI. “Our new series has helped to raise and explore the most pressing issues around women in governance and help steer the conversation in the right direction.”

A number of key global director institutes attended the sessions and shared their insights during the conversations.

Kamla Rampersad de Silva, CEO at Caribbean Corporate Governance Institute, said: “We all know the benefits of having more women directors. But still, though some progress has been made, many corporations are failing to act. And in some cases, women themselves are failing to take advantage of opportunities. Discussing exactly why these challenges continue to exist has helped us to explore some of the solutions to the problem.”

Dr. Carlye Tsui, CEO at The Hong Kong Institute of Directors, noted: “The Women in Governance series is a great example of the kind of global conversations we need to be organising to ensure we see real change at board level. I hope to see other institutes follow suit in the future.”

Sheila Ujoodha, CEO at Mauritius Institute of Directors, said: “Challenges to women aspiring to reach leadership roles are truly global. And they need a global response. By gathering thought leaders and experts in this field, GCC BDI’s series has demonstrated several universal trends. We now look forward to working with our international counterparts to solve some of the issues.”

Kirsten Patterson, CEO at Institute of Directors New Zealand added: “We are grateful for the contributions from speakers and delegates and that all six director institutes could join together in this way. I hope that all attendees will take what they learned into their own organisations and help to drive change at every level.”

Parmi Natesan, CEO at The Institute of Directors South Africa commented: “Our notion of good corporate culture has evolved significantly over the last decade. But many organisations are still falling short and failing to reach their true potential. We are thrilled to have been part of a conversation which has helped to educate bosses about the value women can bring to boards and the impact gender parity can have on bottom lines.”

https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/local/gcc-bdis-global-webinar-series-supports-women-in-accessing-board-seats