| Debate ready to rage on female leaders |
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HIGH-ranking female executives are a rarity in Australia, where almost half of the top-200 listed companies have no female directors.
While the push to get more women around the boardroom table is growing, there are calls for greater action to make those sentiments a reality. A group of comedians, commentators and business leaders will this Friday host a light-hearted debate on a topic gaining serious momentum in business circles - the introduction of quotas to support female board participation. A woman who has no trouble expressing her opinion, television and radio personality Julie McCrossin, will host the Australian Institute of Management's Great Debate. McCrossin said it was time for a genuine discussion about whether quotas would make a positive difference. "It is not just an academic argument anymore, it is really a core question about the Australian economy," she said. "Are we going to find ways to draw on the talent of women, both in executive management and in board positions, and do we need quotas to achieve that?" The push comes after a year when women performed some of Australia's most senior leadership roles for the first time, and guided the country through extreme hardship. Who could forget the leadership of Anna Bligh during the devastating summer of floods in Queensland? "We now have women in all our most senior roles," McCrossin said. "We know women can do it. "The question is, are we prepared to make structural changes to draw more talented Australian women into senior management and on to boards?" Read more... |
