After a lull during the pandemic, diversity in Singapore Inc. has seen an improvement, according to news reports.
According to the Council for Board Diversity, around 39 women CEOs have been appointed. The boards of the 100 largest companies listed on Singapore’s Exchange have witnessed more women representation, taking it to 19.7% as on January 1, 2022. The rise is over 2% when compared to the percentage by the end of 2020 when it was at 17.6%.
However, it is still short of the target set at 20%.
The Council has highlighted the exemplars and cited the work by companies like SATS Ltd. and Far East Hospitality Trust. These companies have women accounting for half of the board seats, at the end of last year—an impressive high from zero in 2013.
Nonetheless, the all-male boards among the top 100 companies remain the same at 17 in 2021 versus a year ago, as the data indicates.
Government-linked companies present a more encouraging picture. At least 30% of their boards comprise women, as of December 31 last year, an improvement from 27.5% a year before that.
