Why does gender diversity matter and how can we get more representation at the senior leadership and board levels?

This was the central question at the recent ‘Women Who Inspire and Elevate’ event co-organised by the SGX Group and The Conference Board.

Many relevant issues were raised by the panellists, including:

1. Boon Chye Loh: Diversity, work-life harmony, and inclusive cultures are not just women’s issues – these are leadership issues.
2. Claire Chiang: Replace “sacrifice” with “trade-off” – over a longer period women can have it all. Plan it accordingly and learn and use leadership skills such as time management, prioritisation, and delegation judiciously.
3. Vivian Cao: No matter how humble your beginnings, a lot of things can happen with effort and skills. Lean in, experiment, and try until you succeed
4. Dr Angela Ryan FCIPD: “You’re not a gorilla, you’re a flamingo” – embrace your authentic self and leadership style. That’s where your unique value comes from.
5. Great moderation by Sandhya Karpe, who also highlighted that everyone needs to support gender diversity – at the workplace and at home.

I raised the question about the role of cyber awareness – security, safety & wellbeing – and what conversations leaders were having on these issues. As a cyber DEI advocate, I know that burnout, techno-stress, and cybersecurity and online safety concerns are keeping leaders awake at night. If not, they should be!

These issues are also closely related to gender diversity and talent, and the sooner we start seeing these are inter-related, we can work to reduce the negative impacts on the workforce as a whole.