Gender diversity progress stalls on ASX 200 boards

Female representation on boards of Australia’s largest companies has not yet hit the 30 per cent target.

The latest Gender Diversity Report released by the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) reveals that as at the end of June 2019, women represented 29.7 per cent of directors on ASX 200 boards.

In 2015, the AICD called for ASX 200 companies to achieve 30 per cent women on boards by the end of 2018. In that time, gender diversity has climbed more than 10 percentage points. However, the target of 30 per cent has not yet been reached.

AICD CEO and Managing Director Angus Armour said it was disappointing to see that the percentage had not increased since the end of December 2018.

“While gender diversity on boards is not sliding backwards, it is a concern that progress is stalling,” he said. “Boards struggling with gender diversity should ask themselves if their search processes are effective and competitive enough to access the large talent pool of female directors in Australia.”

He said that the AICD will continue to advocate strongly on gender diversity.

This year the percentage of female appointments to ASX 200 boards was 29.1 per cent.

As at 30 June 2019, there were four companies on the ASX 200 with no women on their boards:

• HUB24 Limited
• NRW Holdings Limited
• Emeco Holdings Limited
• TPG Telecom Limited

Download the report