Malaysia mulls over ‘30 Per cent Club’ to increase female boardroom presence

KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysian government is studying a proposal to set up Malaysia’s own “30 Per cent Club” to boost the number of women holding top decision-making posts in the private sector, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said yesterday.

Mr Muhyiddin said the women ministry is weighing up this idea, which is similar to those in countries such as the United Kingdom.

In the 30 Per cent Clubs elsewhere across the globe, corporate leaders of major firms have introduced mentoring initiatives that have led to more women being considered for top positions, he said.

“In this matter, I understand that the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry and Pemandu (Performance Management Delivery Unit) are studying the possibility of Malaysia (having) such a club using its own mechanism and mould,” said Mr Muhyiddin.

He was speaking at the opening of the Women’s Summit 2014, organised by the ministry, in Kuala Lumpur.

Pemandu is the agency managing the government’s Economic Transformation Program, which aims to turn Malaysia into a high-income economy by 2020.

The percentage of women among directors of Malaysian listed companies was 8.6 per cent last year, up from 7.7 per cent in 2012.

Speaking to reporters later, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rohani Abdul Karim said her ministry was looking at all the existing 30 Per cent Club models in other places including Hong Kong, the UK and the United States.

“We are going to follow very closely because we want this 30 Per cent Club to be affiliated with one another,” said Ms Rohani.

The federal government had in 2011 introduced a policy to ensure that at least 30 per cent of the decision-makers in the private sector are women.

According to Malaysia’s Statistics Department, 78.6 per cent of employed women were working in the private sector in 2013.

Mr Muhyiddin yesterday also said that the number of women leaders in the public sector will continue to increase through the efforts of the Public Service Department, which fast-tracks female civil servants with high potential, news agency Bernama reported. Last year, there were 205,557 female public officers at the professional and management level.

Mr Muhyiddin said he hoped high-level women civil servants would serve as role models and inspire other female officers in the public service to rise up to higher positions.

The Malaysian government, he added, had implemented strategies to provide entrepreneurial opportunities for women, such as the easy loan scheme for women operating small and medium enterprises.

The one-day Women’s Summit, themed “Trailblaze to the Top”, attracted some 1,050 participants, Bernama reported. Attendees had the opportunity to listen to experiences of local and international speakers in achieving success. AGENCIES