Government-owned corporations get gender board quotas as group of male CEOs push for diversity

They say it’s a man’s world, but some of Australia’s most prominent business people and politicians are applying more pressure on business to increase the appointment of women to senior roles in the public and private sector.

Gail Kelly, chief executive of Westpac Banking Group, says by 2017 she wants half of the bank’s senior management to be filled by women. Westpac has previously promised for women to account for 40% of its 4,000 senior leadership roles by 2014.

“This is not about ideology, numbers or political correctness – this is a serious economic and business opportunity,” Westpac says. As of the start of the year, women accounted for 61% of its 39,000-strong workforce.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Penny Wong says Government-run businesses will need to have at last 40% of board positions filled by women by 2015, matching a requirement for 40% of appointments to Government-board positions to be held by women.

This pledge covers the big seven Government enterprises: Australia Post, NBN Co., Medibank, Australian Rail Track Corporation, Australian Submarine Corporation, Defence Housing Australia and the Australian Government Solicitor.

Wong says the push should improve the performance of the businesses, and ideally they will be “successful by eventually becoming redundant.”

The comments come as the Australian Human Rights Commission releases its report into gender quality in business today, which details measures undertaken by “Male Champions for Change” who 18 months ago committed to increasing the number of women in key appointments.

The champions include the CEOs of ANZ Banking Group (Mike Smith), Woolworths (Grant O’Brien), Rio Tinto Australia (David Peever), Telstra (David Thodey) and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Australia (Giam Swiegers).

The letter details their individual ways of boosting the representation of women in senior roles.

The group says there are three steps on the journey:

• Getting interested.
• Getting committed, making some appointments that break the old paradigm.
• Regarding women’s representation as a cultural imperative.

The group of male champions advises businesses:

• Become familiar with their own “diversity maths”.
• Set up a diversity council.
• Become personally involved, such as renewing commitments or putting “more teeth” into programs, therefore sending a message internally and external about their ambitions.
• Provide “women-only” learning opportunities, in addition to broader programs.
• Ensure workplace practices are up to scratch, such as paid parental leave, breastfeeding and flexible work arrangements.