Event
C-Suite Engagement on Gender on Boards
About the event
For the past five years, Business Engage has undertaken research into the Status of Gender on JSE Listed Boards. This was prompted by the JSE Listing requirement, effective 1st of January 2017.
The board of directors or the nomination committee, as the case may be, must have a policy on the promotion of gender diversity at board level. The issuer must confirm this by reporting to shareholders in its annual report on how the board of directors or the nomination committee, as the case may be, have considered and applied the policy of gender diversity in the nomination and appointment of directors. If applicable, the board of directors or the nomination committee must further report progress in respect thereof on agreed voluntary targets
At the launch of the latest report into the research in November 2022, Business Engage embarked on a five-year review, similar to the Lord Davies and Hampton-Alexander reviews in the U.K.
In the report, Business Engage noted that:
After five years of research into the Integrated Annual Reports of companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Business Engage is of the opinion that the JSE listing requirement, to have a gender policy at board level and to advise stakeholders accordingly, has had a positive and sustainable effect on the appointment of women to the boards and committees of JSE-listed companies. Business Engage further acknowledges the impact that the various iterations of the King Codes have had in creating a conducive environment for this advancement.
Does the South African C Suite and Senior Leadership cohort agree with this statement?
Join us as we discuss and debate the following:
- Is the increase in female board representation acceptable?
- What was the real effect, if any, of the pandemic?
- Should more companies have targets?
- Parity and near parity – would it have happened without intervention?
- What are the possible reasons for having a limited number of female CEO’s?
- Is it too late for legislation?
- Should board sizes be increased to accommodate more women on boards?
What is happening in other locations? At this event, we will see how we compare with the U.S.A., particularly the Russell 3000 Index.
The Russell 3000 Index is a capitalization-weighted stock market index that seeks to be a benchmark of the entire U.S. stock market. It measures the performance of the 3,000 largest publicly held companies incorporated in America as measured by total market capitalization, representing approximately 97% of the American public equity market. The index was launched on January 1, 1984, and is maintained by FTSE Russell, a subsidiary of the London Stock Exchange Group.
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