Category Archives: Working in Asia

More women on boards needs action not just discussion

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pouring coffeeIt was great to see 24 female board directors in Singapore recognised recently at the Singapore Institute of Directors and BoardAgender‘s launch of “Women on Board: Making a Real Difference”. However, there’s still a way to go. There are lots of things that can help move the dial to increase the number of women on boards.  Here are three actions that can be taken:

·      According to Simon Israel, Chairman of SingTel and Singapore Post, “men need to get the religion” and understand that good governance, including diversity, is good for business and for value creation. With 27 of the top listed 100 Singapore companies not having a woman on board – it is the men on these boards that needed to be in the room today and they need to keep hearing it from their fellow male directors. Male champions need to speak to their fellow men.

·      Professor Lawrence Loh of National University of Singapore pointed out in his summary of the ASEAN Corporate Governance scorecard, that the longer the tenure of independent directors on a board, the less female directors there were on that board. The implementation of capped maximum tenures would not just make more spots available for women, it would ensure companies’ boards are refreshed with new perspectives and adapt to the changing external environment.

·      The myth of there not being sufficient capable women to serve on boards should be dispelled with SID Chairman Willie Cheng pointing out that there are more female members of SID than there are SGX listed boards without women. Female directors need to introduce other female directors to share and increase the roles (where 3 women on a board is an ideal number). Men and women all need to be aware of their unconscious biases and focus on skills and capabilities rather than expectations based on past experiences.

There’s definitely a change in the wind – but it will need action rather than just words for the change to take hold.

Coffee count: 611 coffees

My Asian pivot …….1000 Green teas

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green tea1While it has been a few months since my last blog, it has not been an uneventful period. Being Chairman has been quite consuming, with lots of lessons learnt along the way. Watch out for future blogs
on robust conversations, the board’s role in changing culture and the challenge of leading. It has also been an interesting time as I have come to terms with a new challenge (because life as a woman and mother aspiring to be a non-executive director isn’t challenging enough)!

With the Asian Century well underway, opportunities beckon for all. My incredibly supportive and encouraging husband has taken on a wonderful pan-Asian role, based in Singapore and at the end of 2015, I will relocate to Singapore to join him. Having just marked the week of mourning of the late Lee Kwan Yew, many will be well aware of Singapore’s great success of the last 50 years and the place it has earned itself as one of the wealthiest states in the world. It is a city that pulses with activity and has a key role as a trading and financial hub within Asia.

So while it has been a challenge to develop a portfolio of non-executive directorships in Australia, I have just made that challenge all the more interesting. I will have to develop new networks and I suspect that will involve many more cups of coffee …… or green tea. Recognising the need to be more savvy about the economics, politics, history and culture of the many countries across Asia, I have embarked on the Asialink Future Leaders Program. To date, it has been a fascinating experience, with focuses on China, India and Japan as well as extensive discussion of cultural intelligence and exposure to Asian culture through art.

Armed with at least an initial understanding of Asia, my aim will be to bring my governance experience and revenue focus to the attention of Asian companies seeking to deal with Australia or Australian companies seeking to engage with Asia. Either way, it should be a great learning experience.  Watch this space as I try to share the knowledge.

Coffee count: 330