WDP training: 58 women now directors of companies listed on Bursa Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: Fiftyeight women given special training under the Women’s Directorship Programme ( WDP) have been appointed as directors of companies listed on Bursa Malaysia from 2013 till February this year.

Deputy Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun said the programme organised by the NAM Institute for the Empowerment of Women ( NIEW) under the ministry aimed to equip women with the technical skills and knowledge to be company directors.

“Appointment of women as company directors ( of Bursa listed companies) has been quite consistent with 13 people in 2013, 2014 (13), 2015 (14), 2016 (14) and four people in the first two months of this year,” she said when winding up debate on the motion of thanks for the royal address for her ministry in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

According to her, from 2012 till 2016, 1,051 candidates had joined the programme.

She added that based on the Companies Commission of Malaysia statistics, till December last year, 421,308 women were appointed as company directors in the corporate sector which was 29.9 per cent of the overall 1,410,862 company directors in the country.

“Whereas according to Bursa Malaysia statistics, till Dec 31, 2016, there were 144 women company directors in 100 listed companies which constitutes 16.6 per cent of the total 865 directors in those companies,” she said.

On another matter, Azizah, who is also Beaufort MP, said the Social Welfare Department targetted to conduct 1,000 spot checks on child nurseries (Taskas) this year.

She said her ministry would collaborate with NGOs to get feedback on unregistered nurseries as well as to tackle child abuse and neglect cases. — Bernama