In an interview on Worldwide Business with kathy ireland® that will be airing this coming weekend, Leading Women’s CEO Susan Colantuono was asked the question: “If you had one piece of advice to give to a CEO, what would it be?
She answered, “As a CEO, or as an executive or director for that matter, if women aren’t proportionately represented throughout your organization, you aren’t facing a women’s issue — you’re facing a talent development issue with business implications. And so it’s important to bring your personal commitment and the same level of organizational accountability to that challenge as you would to any business issue.”
Brilliant.
Have you ever heard anyone at your company approach gender diversity as a business imperative?
72 companies have just publicly committed to doing so.
In a recent article in The Guardian, 72 companies in the financial industry have signed the “Women in Finance Charter” and have agreed to link their bosses’ bonuses to the appointment of women to senior jobs in a push to break with male-dominated executive teams.
The charter contains four (4) voluntary proposals designed to improve gender balance at financial companies as recommended by Jayne-Anne Gadhia, the chief executive of Virgin Money:
- Having one member of our senior executive team who is responsible and accountable for gender diversity and inclusion
- Setting internal targets for gender diversity in our senior management;
- Publishing progress annually against these targets in reports on our website;
- Having an intention to ensure the pay of the senior executive team is linked to delivery against these internal targets on gender diversity.
Imagine: Gender Diversity… being managed just like any other business imperative for these organizations, with a commitment from senior leadership to address the situation and hold a member of the senior executive team accountable.
After so many years of asking the question of “What Will It Take to Make Gender Diversity Happen?” Leading Women CEO's answer and the 72 companies who signed the Women in Finance Charter have nailed It! Make it a Business Imperative.
photo credit: Leading Women Appearing on the set of Worldwide Business with kathy ireland®
