30% Club Malaysia’s Board Mentoring Scheme Strengthens Board-Ready Women Leaders Pipeline
Last September, the 30% Club Malaysia held its annual Board Mentoring Celebration, a momentous occasion recognising the achievements of 28 women from the 9th cohort of the Board Mentoring Scheme.
The event also welcomed a new cohort of 29 aspiring women leaders eager to break into boardrooms. This celebration underscores the organisation’s unwavering commitment to increasing female representation on the boards of public listed companies (PLCs) in Malaysia, contributing to the broader goal of gender equity in corporate leadership.
As of 1 July 2024, according to data from Securities Commission Malaysia, women constitute 31.4% of board directors of Malaysia’s Top 100 PLCs. The percentage of women on boards in all PLCs on Bursa Malaysia remains below the 30% target at 26.3%, up slightly from 25.6% in 2023.
“There are 265 board seats to go before we achieve 30% of women on the boards of Malaysian PLCs overall. The gap is closing, but slowly, indicating that many companies are choosing to maintain their existing board gender composition. There can be a number of reasons for this, including the perceived lack of suitable candidates,” said Nurul A’in Abdul Latif, Chair of 30% Club Malaysia and Executive Chair of PwC Malaysia.
She added, “Creating a robust pipeline of female leaders is not just a matter of equity for equity’s sake. Although 30% is our target, it is not a ceiling. Our ultimate goal continues to be parity. As organisations face challenges for which they have no blueprint to address, they’ll need to seek out diverse perspectives and experiences for better decision-making and innovation outcomes.
Female representation in seats of leadership is a strategic imperative for businesses and Malaysia’s economic growth. We must continue to advocate for policies that support women’s leadership, challenge gender stereotypes, and create a level playing field for all.”
Pauline Ho, Steering Committee member of 30% Club Malaysia and Partner at PwC Malaysia says, “Mentoring is central to addressing the challenges that aspiring or new women directors face in gaining visibility at the board circles. Many talented women miss out on leadership roles because they were not considered for these roles, and a big part of this boils down to whether existing board members, nomination committee members and recruiters have a diverse network to tap into when a position opens up.”
She continued, “Our goal with the BMS is not placement, but instead to augment a pipeline of leaders with the right competence and fit for Malaysia’s boards – or board-readiness. This means having the right skills to provide strategic direction for companies’ growth in a more challenging business landscape. Skills such as digital competence and future-thinking are critical today, and this platform for knowledge and experience sharing, allows us to take a long-term and sustainable view in achieving gender parity for companies across the board.”
CnetG Asia is a key strategic partner of 30% Club Malaysia. In addition to leading the programs and engagement initiatives, CnetG Asia conducts board-resume writing masterclass to participants of the Board Mentoring Scheme annually.
30% Club Malaysia is a global business-led campaign founded in the UK to advocate for gender parity in boardrooms and senior leadership. The Malaysian Chapter was launched in 2015 with a primary focus to facilitate at least 30% women representation on the boards of companies listed on Bursa Malaysia and welcomes non-listed entities and global multinational companies to join as a Corporate Advocate.





