Month: October 2021

The female CEO stimulates gender diversity in a company

The number of women on boards has doubled under the leadership of a woman (29%), compared to a man-led board (16%) globally, according to the fifth edition of the Deloitte Women in the Boardroom study. These percentages are almost identical to the relationship between a female CEO and the number of women on the boards of directors of that company (29%), compared to a company led by a male CEO (15%).

Globally, 15% of all board positions are held by women, a modest 3% increase from 2015, according to Women in the Boardroom, a study that looks at the efforts of more than 60 countries to promote gender diversity. within the boards of directors. Women are still under represented in councils, despite the benefits of gender diversity in place.

In Romania, women occupy 10% of the seats on the boards of directors of large listed companies, 12% of the non-executive roles of the highest rated companies and 15% of the seats on the boards of supervisors of all companies listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange.

• America's boards of directors are not very diverse

In the United States, only 14% of board seats are held by women, an increase of only 2% over the 2015 edition. In Canada, the percentage of women on boards has increased to 18%, with 5% more than in 2015. In Latin America and South America, only 7% of board seats are held by women and only 2% of leadership positions on a board are held by women.

• Progress in the EMEA region varies significantly

Romania is behind the other countries in the European Union with only 12% of non-executive positions held by women, compared to the EU average of 23%. Norway, the first country to introduce a diversity quota, has the highest percentage of women on boards (42%). There is no gender diversity quota in the UK, but 20% of council seats and 3% of board positions are held by women. The percentage of women on boards has increased to 28% in Italy, but the number of women chairing boards has fallen by 14% since 2015 and so far to 9%.

• In Australia and Oceania, gender diversity on boards is growing

In Australia, the figures continue to improve as the percentage of women on boards increases to 20%, and 5% to management positions on boards. New Zealand has seen the largest increase since 2015, with 28% of council seats held by women.

• Asia-Pacific lags behind other regions

With only 8% women on boards, gender diversity in some major Asian economies is modest compared to other global regions. Only a few Asia-Pacific countries have mandatory quotas or other solutions to this problem.

by Péter Nyári

The role of women in re-launching the economy and innovation decision making

Forum & policy stakeholder roundtable
Hybrid event

Live in Budapest (Millenáris, 1024 Budapest, Kis Rókus u. 16-20 & online
22 November 2021

The global pandemic has affected our lives in almost every aspect from our health and families to our economy and our prospects. It is a challenge not only to re-launch the economy but to re-launch it on a path that leads to more resilience, growth and sustainability on a national and a regional basis.

This path should include more women and more investments into innovation in the V4+ and the Central-Eastern European regions where market economy is much younger than in Western Europe. As a non-profit, nonpartisan organisation driving the discussion we connect stakeholders from two axes - V4+ countries plus Norway, Serbia, Romania – for the first time. This is why a policy discussion is long due on the topic of business angel investments, innovative start-ups and more female participation in both parts. We invite the stakeholders to discuss their approach, share their opinions and display their results in special roundtables on innovation and business angel investments.

Women/Business/Angels Association holds a special, hybrid forum on 22 November from 15.00 to foster communication among the key players of these regions and topics, and to allow drawing conclusions in terms of good practices for the future. The forum will start with a welcome and a keynote, then from 15.30 a stakeholder panel debate will be held on how to involve more women into innovation funding. In the second half of the event, from 16.20 the WINGATE project will be introduced in more details, focusing on the founding side of startups, titled Innovation in many colors – Innovation support case studies. The event will be closed at 17.30.

>> The event is an opportunity to learn from the experiences of two different projects that nevertheless have similar goals – supporting innovative women entrepreneurs and business angels - and an overlapping geographical coverage.

The WINGATE project: Serbia, Romania, Moldova, Hungary and Norway
We are also beneficiary partners in the WINGATE project, funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Regional Cooperation. This consortium work across Norway, Serbia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova, supporting and training women entrepreneurs and women business angels.

The Visegrad 4+ project: Visegrad 4+ countries
Women/Business/Angels Association is the consortium leader of a project, co-funded by the International Visegrad Fund, with participating partners from the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Georgia and Moldova besides Hungary. We aim to support the development of business angeldom and innovation ecosystem building in these countries and within that, the role that women play in making investment decisions in innovative startups.

For personal attendance, please send an email to womenbusinessangels@gmail.com.
For online participation, please register in Zoom: https://www.wbusinessangels.com/en/

by Péter Nyári