Thursday 30 April 2009

What a woman can do ... on the board

Written by Mark Leftly of the Independent (Business Section) Sunday 26th April 2009

David Gold clearly knew what he was doing in more ways than one when he made his daughter, Jacqueline, chief executive of his naughty lingerie and sex shop chain, Ann Summers.

According to research this weekend by legal consultant Employment Law Advisory Services (Elas), having at least one woman on a board reduces the risk of a business failing by more than 20 per cent. Also, more than 80 per cent of companies with women on their boards are optimistic about surviving the recession in good shape.

Apparently, women executives are more frugal, responsive and flexible.

Peter Mooney, the head of consultancy at Elas, said: "Our research shows that firms with women in the boardoom achieve a 10 per cent higher return on capital than those firms run entirely by men. Time and again, we see women directors doing well within their sectors."

I know we have members of the male persuasion, but I liked this article.
Shelley

3 comments:

TC said...

Shelley, I like this article too. I think women (on the whole) are more optimistic than men. I also agee that we are more responsive and how would be able to juggle our lifes (PA, wife, mother, taxi driver, domestic goddess....)without being flexible!

Adrianne McDowell said...

Yeah, yeah but there are some stinkers out there as well. I have taken Minutes for years for a Board where three of the five directors are women and they fight like cats! They spend the entire time trying to outdo each other and score maximum brownie points with the Charir(man), who just gets more and more frustrated with them. They waffle on for too long and disagree with each other repeatedly. Give me a Board of all men any time!

GT said...

I have the perfect woman boss. She is firm, fair and funny and the boys (and girls) all love her. I don't attend board meetings but I am told she runs them just the way she runs the business, profitably.

She is the one who encouraged me to join APA.