Number Of Women In Senior Positions Rise � Survey
Pauline Dikuelo | Monday March 14, 2016 13:58
The global survey was conducted in 5,220 businesses across 36 economies.
The survey indicates that Botswana performs far better and is among the top 10 countries with the highest proportions of female chief executive officers at 15 percent. Sprint Couriers, who recently won the Private Business Growth Award, is one of the companies locally, which is led by women as founders, Pinkie Setlalekgosi and Michelle Gebrial.
Some of the women in senior positions in Botswana’s private companies include BIHL CEO Catherine Lesetedi-Letegele, Regina Sikalesele-Vaka, founder and CEO of Bona Life, BIHL board Chairperson Batsho Dambe-Groth, Botswana Life CEO Bilkiss Moorad , President of WIBA Tumi Mbaakanyi, NDB CEO Lorato Morapedi and central bank governor Linah Mohohlo
However, the survey shows that despite the increase, 33 percent of businesses in Botswana still have no women in leadership. The new research also finds that women leaders worldwide are facing barriers to occupation of the most senior business roles.
Commenting on the survey, principal administration and finance officer at Grant Thornton Botswana, Ranjitha Dinesh, said that gender diversity hindered group-think and facilitated dynamic ideas that have a long-term effect on growth and the bottom line.
“Such out-of-the-box thinking is a critical part of economic development in countries such as Botswana,” he said. “Leadership traits such as empathy, conflict management and the ability to adapt to change are essential for any successful leader and women particularly, have these qualities embedded in them. This is the time to use them effectively in business in Botswana.”
Dinesh added that companies in developed nations talked the talk on diversity in leadership for long enough, adding that it’s time to put their promises into practice and deliver results.
“We know that businesses with diverse workforces can outperform their more homogenous peers and are better positioned to adapt to a rapidly changing global business environment,” he added.
On average, Africa reports an average proportion of women in leadership at 27 percent and just 25 percent of businesses with no women in senior management. Globally, just nine percent of women in senior management are CEOs and Africa reflects similar results against this metric with 10 percent.
Globally, the poorest perfuming individual countries are Japan with just seven percent women in senior roles and Germany with just 15 percent. Russia tops the list of individual countries with 45 percent of senior roles held by women followed by Philippines at 39 percent where only nine percent of businesses have no women in senior management.