MORE WOMEN SITTING AT HELM OF CORPORATE SA

In keeping with today being Women's Day - have a happy one!

More women sitting at helm of corporate SA
Workplace staff

08 August 2007 at 11h00

Since the inception of democracy in South Africa, women have been making strides in the workplace. It was not long ago when the boardroom consisted of predominantly male executives. The South African Women in Leadership Census 2006, published by Business Women's Association, indicates that there is an increase of women corporate leaders or directors in the country.

People organisation, Kelly, confirms that boardrooms across the country are now taking on a completely different look. Increasingly women are taking their rightful seat at the helm of business. Gayleen Baxter, Kelly's chief operating officer, says: "We are in the middle of a paradigm shift. "Top women talent no longer fill mere management positions; they are now sitting at boardroom tables and steering corporate South Africa into an exciting future.

While this bodes well for women, progress is only now beginning to gain momentum and attention is also being focused on women talent retention."As we celebrate Women's Month in August, the spotlight falls on the success achieved by the business in promoting women in South Africa. The challenge is for business to keep the momentum and succeed in attracting and retaining women in top positions in business. Many businesses are achieving great success and it falls on these companies to provide insight into the key success factors of enabling an environment that promotes equity in the boardrooms.

Thursday is National Women's Day. It is also the anniversary of the historic march of women to the Union Buildings in 1956 in protest against the pass laws that required previously disadvantaged women to carry a document that proves they were allowed into areas reserved for white people only under the apartheid Laws. August is a month of that celebrates and commemorates the contribution of women in the struggle for freedom and, importantly, the progress that has been made in empowering women in business. Baxter adds: "The emergence of a strong and unified force of corporate women is forcing a change in boardrooms worldwide.

"In South Africa the change is beginning to see results giving an indication that the empowerment of women in the workplace is becoming a reality." But can corporate South Africa say that the process of empowering women has in fact reached levels of acceptability? According to findings by the Business Women's Association published in August 2006, Census 2006 indicates that women are still significantly underrepresented in top corporate leadership positions. Baxter confirms that while at director level women are showing a consistent increase, those filling chairperson and CEO positions remain significantly low. The challenge remains for business to attract and retain top women leaders. But there are positives that provide significant impetus to the drive for top women placements:

Top talent.

Women are proving to be some of the best leadership talent in the country. The trend is mirrored in a global context which is seeing an increasing number of women gaining the skills and qualifications to lead corporate business.

Upward trend.

Albeit relatively slow, the numbers of women in top positions is on the increase. The growing pool of talent provides significant resources for companies seeking to empower women in the boardroom. The increase of women directors shows that business is serious in driving empowerment in the boardroom.

Empowering women as a competitive advantage. Companies committed to the empowerment of women in the boardroom show their true intentions, a powerful indicator of its business objectives. With women becoming more qualified and astute business people, their presence at the boardroom table sends a clear message of the company's ability to attract and retain top women in business.

Global trend.

South Africa is not alone in women empowerment initiatives. Globally, business is adapting to the importance of the emphasis on strict corporate governance which also stresses the importance of director independence.Consequently the boardroom doors are increasingly opening for top women talent to enter and drive business into the future. Baxter concludes: "The trend is positive with a strong focus on women empowerment, not only in the boardroom; but at all management levels. "The challenge now is to keep driving the process of true empowerment and as we do so, South Africa is setting a global standard that is set to take business into an exciting and prosperous future."