KUALA LUMPUR: Women’s participation as board members in the top 100 companies listed on Bursa Malaysia and government-linked companies (GLCs) has risen significantly, reaching 32.2% as of Oct 10 compared to 25.5% in 2021.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said that female board representation in other companies also increased from 16.9% in 2021 to 25.4% last year.
She credited this progress to the Securities Commission’s updates to the Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance 2021, which encouraged public listed companies to ensure at least 30% of board members are women.
“This achievement exceeds the government’s target of 30% female board representation by 2025 set in the 12th Malaysia Plan,” she said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
She was responding to a question from Datuk Seri Madius Tangau (PH-Tuaran) about measures to ensure that the policy of 30% of women on the board of directors, especially in GLCs, is met.
Meanwhile, Nancy highlighted that women’s involvement in politics remains a challenge, as evidenced by their representation in Parliament.
To address this, she said the ministry has launched the 2024 Women’s Leadership Apprenticeship Programme, which aimed to boost women’s participation in various fields such as economics and politics.
“This programme is part of our efforts to expand women’s involvement in all national activities. While it has already commenced, it will be officially launched by the end of this year,” she said.
