Gender progress on ASX 200 boards stalls

The CEO of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) has challenged all companies to look around their boardroom and ask if there is sufficient diversity of skills, experience and gender to effectively meet the demands of a challenging governance landscape.

AICD's latest gender diversity statistics of Australia’s ASX 200 companies revealed on Tuesday that the year to date appointment rate of women sits at just 23 per cent.

AICD managing director and CEO Angus Armour said the results were disappointing.

"At the beginning of this year we expected to achieve our 30 per cent target imminently, but unfortunately the overall percentage has fallen since the start of this year," Mr Armour noted.

The latest statistics reveal that there are still four companies with no women on their boards and 50 companies only have one female board member.

"Far too many companies appear to think that diversity stops after the appointment of one woman. Diverse boards help prevent group-think, leading to better outcomes for shareholders, consumers, employees and the community. They promote greater innovation and improved bottom lines," Mr Armour judged.

The four ASX 200 companies with no women on their boards:

• HUB24
• ARB Corporation
• Emeco Holdings
• TPG Telecom