KUALA LUMPUR: Women account for 17.9% on the boards of directors in the top 100 public-listed companies (PLC) on Bursa Malaysia as of June 30 this year.  

Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim, said although this was close to the Government’s 2017 target to increase women’s participation as decision-makers in PLCs to 18%, it was still low compared to the initial target of 30% set in 2011.  

She said this at a chat session with plc chairmen, chief executive officers and members of the boards at Bursa Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.

Rohani said the ministry would continue its efforts to increase awareness among industries and corporations to ensure that PLCs appoint more women as members of their boards by 2020 according to the government’s target.   

“There are 17 companies among the top 100 PLCs that do not have any women on their boards,” she said, adding that for failing to help meet the target, the 17 would be named and shamed as according to the announcement made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.  

She said the ministry would be intensifying its Women Directors Training Programme initiative to increase the participation of women as decision-makers in the corporate sector. - Bernama