WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP ROLES ON THE RISE, SAYS PNB
PNB has balanced 45:55 composition of male-to-female employees, says Wahid
WOMEN’S participation in top-level management and the board of Malaysian companies is on the rise, in line with the government’s call to have more women in leadership roles.
Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar said women should be given the opportunity to sit on the board of directors as well as hold key positions within an organisation.
Citing an example, he said PNB had a balanced 45:55 composition of male-to-female employees while Maybank Group had a 60:40 ratio.
“Looking at the strategic companies under PNB, most have complied with the 30 per cent requirement for women to be on the board of directors in leading subsidiaries of PNB.
“For example, Datuk Mohaiyani Shamsudin became the first woman to be appointed Maybank chairman and we also appointed Nik Fazila Nik Mohamed Shihabuddin as Chemical Company of Malaysia Bhd group managing director recently.
“A concern is the future of our boys at schools and universities as female students make up twothird of the student population,” he said after the Malaysia Leadership Succession Summit, here, yesterday.
The government announced in the 2018 Budget that women should make up at least 30 per cent of the board of directors of government-linked companies, government-linked investment companies and statutory bodies by year-end.
Wahid said more women now excelled in the corporate sector and the civil service.
Other women holding top position include AmInvestment Bank Bhd Raja Teh Maimunah Raja Abdul Aziz, Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Rohana Rozhan, AirAsia Group deputy CEO Aireen Omar and Prasarana Malaysia Bhd president and CEO Masnizam Hisham.