The discussion on female representation in Singapore’s boardrooms has rapidly gained momentum in recent years. As at June 2023, only 22.7 per cent of board positions in Singapore’s top 100 listed companies were held by women, according to data from the Council for Board Diversity. This figure is modest as compared to global leaders such as France, where women make up nearly 44 per cent of board members, with countries such as Italy and Australia following closely behind, as reported by data intelligence leader Altrata in its Global Gender Diversity 2023 report.
Singapore aims to reach 30 per cent female board representation by end‑2030. At the 5th anniversary event and forum of the Council for Board Diversity last August, former Singapore president Halimah Yacob called attention to the critical role of board gender diversity in organisational success. “Women’s participation on boards is a barometer of the extent our society values the contributions of women and whether these contributions are viewed as being equal to those
