Editorial May 2008

Solving the supply issues for women in top positions

The perceived lack of supply

Sometimes an expression can hit you like a ton of bricks. That was what happened to me when I attended the International Colloquium on the
UK FTSE 100 Mentoring Programme in London. Although there are many qualified women in the talent pool, very few make it to the board and many companies and executive searchers continue to complain about the lack of qualified candidates. One of the explanations offered for the lack of women in top positions was the ‘perceived lack of supply’ by those looking for them. Common perceptions about what board members ‘look like’ may hinder companies from recognising and validating the talent in front of them. When talking about the problem of ‘the lack of supply’, it is revealing to see who perceives this lack. It also points to a clear and simple solution: companies and executive searchers looking for qualified women should first investigate their perceptions before drawing any conclusions about the size and quality of the pipeline.

Analysing the supply

At the moment of writing the editorial we are in the process of analysing the data of Europe’s top 300 companies as part of our bi-annual project known as the EuropeanPWN BoardWomen Monitor. After concluding that progress was ’glacially’ slow from 2004 to 2006; the percentage of women on boards only went up from 8% to 8.5%, we hope to find that progress has not slowed down. Our final results will be reported at a press conference in Milan end of June, in the presence of the 17 presidents of our networks.

Organising the supply

Clearly the issue has gained momentum, with more initiatives are being taken all the time:

• End of May a Charter will be signed in the Netherlands by companies who are willing to go that extra mile in advancing their female talent; strictly volunteer in nature, but supported by the government and the employers’ federation, the success of the Charter relies on the good will of all parties involved More
• Another significant sign of change has been the appointment of more female than male ministers in the cabinet of Spain’s Prime Minister Zapatero. Not only do the numbers count, but also the ‘perceived’ importance of positions. In many countries the Minister of Defence holds a special place. In Spain the newly appointed Minister of Defence is a woman, who is currently pregnant.

• The European Commission has recently taken the initiative to organise an event for professional women’s networks which are actively involved in dealing with issues which specifically relate to women in decision-making functions. The first event, hosted by EC commissioner Spidla, kicks off on 2 June in Brussels. EuropeanPWN will be taking part and I will report on the event in the June newsletter.

Mirella Visser
President
European Professional Women’s Network
May 2008