At the awards gala held on 13 September at the Ticketpro Dome, Barloworld was named the Gender Mainstreaming Champion. This award is presented to the company that has the broadest and most holistic approach to promoting gender diversity within the business environment, measured against the various awards categories. Barloworld was also the overall winner in the “Women on Boards” category. This award acknowledges companies that have successfully transformed their boards, while ensuring that aspiring female directors are judged on their corporate governance skills and experience, and not their gender. Finalists in this category included Vodacom and EY.
 
This year’s event attracted almost 800 participants, a substantial increase from the 320 participants at the inaugural event held in 2012. Speaking at the event, Colleen Larsen, President of the 30% Club Southern African Chapter said, “While we are still a long way from achieving gender parity, there has been steady progress in the last few years and there’s a growing recognition that gender diversity makes good business sense. These awards acknowledge the efforts being made by business to achieve gender equality”.
 
Larsen also announced that research into the gender policies of JSE-listed companies, which will also measure whether there has been any progress in gender mainstreaming, will be completed in November 2018.
 
Good momentum has been achieved in membership numbers and activities, says Larsen. Over the past two years, members have more than quadrupled to 55, with Spar, most recently joining some of the country’s top corporations and most influential business leaders to drive Club’s advocacy programmes.
There are now 11 chapters around the world - soon to be 12, with the club’s expansion into East Africa in October.
“I congratulate all the 2018 winners for their commitment to and recognition of the many benefits improved gender diversity can bring to their organisations. These organisations are setting the benchmark and the pace for other South African organisations to follow”.
The finalists and winners for this year’s awards were as follows:
Women on Boards
Overall winner: Barloworld Equipment
Finalists: Vodacom Group Ltd, EY
Investing in Young Women
Overall Winner: Vodacom Group Ltd
Listed Companies: Vodacom Group Ltd, PPC Ltd, Barloworld Equipment
Non-listed Companies: T-Systems SA (Pty) Ltd (Winner), Cummins Africa Middle East, Thomson Reuters Markets SA
Women Empowerment in the Workplace
Overall Winner: Barloworld Equipment
Listed Companies: Barloworld Equipment, Vodacom Group Ltd, Wesbank
Non-listed Companies: Schoeman Law Inc (Winner) Ancora Property Group (Pty) Ltd, and Nkgwete IT Solutions/Peace Table Grapes (Pty) Ltd
Empowerment of Women in the Community
Overall Winner: Standard Chartered Bank South Africa
Listed Companies: AngloGold Ashanti Ltd (Winner), Vodacom Group Ltd, Young Talent – ABSA Africa Technology
Non-listed Companies: Standard Chartered Bank South Africa, De Beers Consolidated Mines (Pty) Ltd, i4Water with AECI/ Cummins Africa Middle East
Economic Empowerment
Overall Winner: EY
Finalists: Barloworld Equipment, PPC Ltd
Women on Executive Committees in Multinationals
 
Overall Winner: Thomson Reuters Markets SA
Finalists: EY, Vodacom Group Ltd
Equal Representation and Participation
 
Overall Winner: Cummins Africa Middle East
Finalists: EY, ABSA Group Ltd (WIMI)
Gender Reporting by JSE-Listed Companies
 
Overall Winner: Adcock Ingram Holdings Ltd
Finalists: AngloGold Ashanti Ltd, Tiger Brands Ltd
Diversity and Transformation
Overall Winner: Vodacom Group Ltd
Finalists: EY, Clarkhouse Human Capital, Dormehl Phalane Property Group
Mainstreaming Gender and Disability
 
Overall Winner: Cummins Africa Middle East
Finalists: Vodacom Group Ltd
Individual Awards Inclusive Leader
 
Overall Winner: Bruce Clever – De Beers Group, and Gino Butera – Cummins
Finalists: Sneha Shah – Thomson Reuters Markets SA and Jurgen Stragier – Group Five
Positive Role Model
Overall Winner: Dineo Molefe – T-Systems 
Finalists: Christine Ramon – AngloGold Ashanti and Beauty Mtsweni – Group Five
Special Mention: Prof Elain Vlok – Clover Foundation
More about the 30% Club
The 30% Club, an initiative started in the UK in 2010, comprises an international group of chairmen, CEOs and senior partners of organisations committed to bringing more women onto boards of directors. The 30% Club’s efforts are premised on the empirical evidence that more diverse leadership results in more successful companies. Globally, and in Southern Africa, the 30% Club runs advocacy, coaching and other initiatives aimed at broadening the pipeline of women at senior executive and board level.

Source: FA News