Standard Chartered Aims for More Women in Senior Roles
Standard Chartered's Singapore CEO says the bank is on track to have women occupy 30 percent of its senior leadership roles by 2020.
In order to stay fit and relevant for the future, banks and the government must work together towards a cohesive workforce strategy, said Patrick Lee, CEO of Standard Chartered Singapore, who was speaking at an event celebrating International Women's Day.
«We recognise that pay is a key part of fair employment practices and a diverse workforce. And we are committed to taking action which will, over time, address the gender pay gap. Our Fair Pay charter sets out our commitment to reward colleagues in a fair and transparent way,» said Lee.
The event was graced by Josephine Teo, Minister of Manpower, Simon Cooper, Chief Executive of Corporate, Commercial and Institution at Standard Chartered, Deborah Ho, Head of Southeast Asia for BlackRock, and Ayesha Khanna, CEO of ADDO AI (pictured above).
Female Participation
«We are also on track to reaching our goal of having women occupy 30 percent of our senior leadership roles by 2020. Currently we are at 28%.»
In the bank's Singapore franchise, female employees make up more than 40 percent of the local franchise and over a third (35 percent) of its country management team are women.
Creating an Inclusive Culture
«Creating a flexible work environment is also a part of building an inclusive culture. For example, we give our employees the option to work part-time, choose flexible working hours, or work from home on selected days,» said Lee.
Since 2015, the take-up rate of this flexible working arrangement in the Singapore franchise has tripled and is now in the hundreds, he noted.
«As technology and its impact on jobs become increasingly pervasive, businesses need to devote even more consideration towards harnessing technology to increase gender diversity and advance women’s career,» said Lee.
