Westpac chief executive Gail Kelly has committed to increasing the percentage of women in senior management roles to 40 per cent by 2014.
Kelly told the Australia Israel Chamber of Commerce yesterday that Westpac had established a plan to double the proportion of women in the company’s management ranks within the next four years. According to media reports today, 23 per cent of Westpac’s management positions are currently held by women – a figure that places Westpac well ahead of its peers, and on a national scale.
A number of companies are expected to follow suit in response to new Australian Securities Exchange guidelines which come into force in January next year. The new rules require listed companies to set gender diversity targets and report annually on their progress.
Kelly was last week named the eighth most powerful women in the world by the US Forbes Magazine. She was sandwiched between music artists Lady Gaga and Beyonce Knowles, while US First Lady Michelle Obama took the number one spot.
