By Amanda Morrall
Thirty women have been hand-selected for a mentoring programme run by the Institute of Directors (IoD) aimed at bridging the gender gap around New Zealand board tables.
The Mentoring for Diversity programme, which starts at the beginning of next year and runs for 12 months, will partner chosen candidates with 30 chairmen and senior directors of major New Zealand companies.
IoD president Denham Shale said the exchange would be mutually beneficial in that New Zealand's predominantly male-driven boards would gain a "greater understanding of the concerns and aspirations of senior women.''
The initiative comes on the back of calls by the NZX for listed companies to make public the number of women and minorities at senior levels.
According to the Human Rights Commission, women make up only 9.32% of directorships among New Zealand's listed companies.
By comparison, women in Australia make up 12.7% of the nation's top 200 listed companies.
Shale said research has shown that diversity brings a new dynamic to the boardroom with a ''different range of skill sets and perspectives which should ultimately lead to better governance and better company performance."
He said the institute was committed not only to boosting female participation at the senior levels but also promoting greater diversification in terms of age, ethnicity and background.
"Companies that embrace the principle of diversity and put it into practice invariably derive a comparative business advantage,” he said.
The 30 women selected to participate in the mentoring programme were hand-picked from more than 130 applicants by Shale, Ministry of Women’s Affairs boss Rowena Phair and Institute of Director CEO Ralph Chivers.
Shale said the successful candidates "already highly successful women" were looking to the programme as a way to build their networks, gain insights on how to position and present themselves to achieve NZX-listed or large company board positions.
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