Here is help for ambitious women wanting to take the high-backed seats in the wood-panelled corporate boardrooms.
In view of Securities and Exchange Board of India’s directive that all listed companies should have at least one woman on their boards of directors by October 1, Confederation of Indian Industry’s Kerala chapter is offering a crash course to equip women to crash into the boardroom.
The ₹30,000 three-day course, to be conducted by trainers from the Institute of Directors, will coach the women on boardroom functions such as taking part effectively in the discussions and speaking with clarity and conviction. The course will also take care of personal grooming, communication skills and assertiveness.
“They will get intensive training in the art of corporate governance,” C.J. George, the outgoing chair of the CII Kerala chapter, who is also the managing director of Geojit BNP Paribas, said.
He said there was a huge shortage of trained and qualified women directors.
Following the SEBI directive, about 1,000 woman directors have to be appointed by corporate houses within a few months. “This is a major decision in terms of women’s empowerment,” George said. It might also make a qualitative change in the boardroom deliberations, he said.
The boards of more than two-thirds of listed companies, including the biggies, do not have women. To meet the SEBI requirement, corporate India will soon be mounting a ‘womanhunt’ to fill the vacancies.
Though only listed companies are required to have woman directors now, the rule is likely to be extend to companies with a certain size and investment.