Headed by Taipei 101 Chairwoman Christina Sung, WOB comprises nine core members including ROC Minister without Portfolio Tsai Yu-ling, Amy Chen, president and managing director of Loreal Taiwan Co. Ltd., Sophia Huang, chairwoman of Pacific Sogo Department Store Co. Ltd., and Hong Lan, neuroscience professor at Taoyuan County-based National Central University.
Sung said the goal of WOB is to enhance female involvement in corporate management and assist their career development so they can become outstanding leaders in every sector.
WOB also plans to work with the government on devising regulations to ensure local businesses name more females to their boards of directors, Sung said, adding that females only account for 14.1 percent of all board members in Taiwan’s publicly listed companies.
Norway has the highest percentage of female board members in the world and is a benchmark Taiwan should aim to achieve, she said.
Increasing the share of female corporate leaders will lead to a more balanced and equitable society, Sung said. But this does not mean replacing men: The goal is to foster expanded cross-gender cooperation.
Citing a six-year survey conducted by Switzerland-based investment bank Credit Suisse Group AG, the chairwoman said on average, share prices of around US$10 billion firms with female board members outperform those without.
Female participation in decision-making positions is too low in Taiwan, with Cher Wang, chairwoman of Taiwan’s smartphone maker HTC Corp., the only chairwoman of all local publicly listed companies, Sung said.
It is hoped that Wang will take up an invitation to join WOB, she added.
Echoing Sung’s remarks, WOB member Huang urged local women to embrace the role of corporate decision-makers. Taiwan’s department store sector boasts a female customer base of 80 percent, but only 33 percent for managers, she said.
In contrast, Taiwan’s public sector has done a better job, with females comprising 28.14 percent of all senior civil servants and 33.6 percent of legislators, Huang added.
The group is set to kick off two seminars targeting office workers aged 25-35 May 10 in Taipei City. The event theme is women’s career advancement and leadership roles. (DF-JSM)
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