What is the 30% Club and its mission?
The 30% Club is a global business-led campaign founded in the UK to advocate for gender parity in boardrooms and senior leadership.
Launched by the Prime Minister in May 2015, the Malaysian Chapter works to catalyse real transformation in Corporate Malaysia through a culture of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI).
The 30% Club Malaysia’s primary focus has been to facilitate at least 30% women representation on the boards of companies listed on Bursa Malaysia, and also welcomes non-listed entities and global multinational companies to join as a Corporate Advocate.
Why 30%?
A milestone, not an end goal, 30% is seen to be a sizeable enough representation and voice to influence change, and signals a tipping point towards gender balance. To make this a reality, we advocate for collective efforts to link DEI to business outcomes, and with that, to embed DEI in policies, processes and practices across the organization, be it for managing talent and vendors.
How do you align meritocracy and diversity goals to ensure there are no tokenistic appointments?
Women are receiving higher education and entering the workforce in record numbers and are major consumers in their own right. Yet at senior levels in organizations, women representation tends to drop, often due to the difficulties in juggling family and career responsibilities, unconscious bias against women, and the “old-boys” club.
Organisations that are serious about attracting and retaining top talent must identify and address visible and invisible hurdles to advancement.
Studies show that companies with more diverse boards and leadership tend to outperform. They are also further ahead in achieving their climate action goals.
Diverse teams are less likely to be blindsided by risks. Members in inclusive teams feel valued and psychologically safe, and are therefore more productive. Equity is about promoting equitable opportunities for all employees regardless of their gender, ethnicity and socio-economic background.
In order to benefit from DEI, organizations could start with the following:
- Understand their business case for DEI and changes.
- Collect data to understand where and why diversity is lacking, and the implications.
- Engage staff on their understanding about DEI, and what changes they would like to see to promote a more inclusive and productive workplace.
How does the 30% Club help achieve gender parity in Corporate Malaysia?
To achieve our milestones, the 30% Club works with Strategic Partners such as the Securities Commission and Bursa Malaysia, and through three key strategic pillars:
- Activate corporate advocates to influence their internal and external ecosystems.
- Influence stakeholders such as the regulators to facilitate policies that promote DEI.
- Enable a pipeline of board-ready women through various initiatives such as masterclasses; the 30% Club Board Mentoring Scheme in collaboration with PwC Malaysia; and a Board Ready Women program with Deloitte Malaysia.
30% Club Malaysia 