Women in Business Leadership: A Study of The Top 100 Bombay Stock Exchange-Listed Companies
Women in Business Leadership: A Study of The Top 100 Bombay Stock Exchange-Listed Companies
Women in Business Leadership: A Study of The Top 100 Bombay Stock Exchange-Listed Companies
Women in
Business Leadership:
A Study of the
Top 100 Bombay Stock Exchange-
listed Companies
PARTNERS IN CHANGE
Making Corporate Social Responsibility Your Business
In traditional Indian societies, women were confined to the four walls of their homes, primarily performing
household activities. They were considered to be the weaker sex and were made to depend on male
family members throughout their lives. Indian culture posited them as subordinates and executors of the
decisions made by men.
Despite all kinds of social hurdles, India today is brimming with success stories of women. They stand tall in
the crowd and are recognized for their achievements in their respective fields. These accomplishments hold
true for the business community as well. The most important determinant of a countrys competitiveness
is its human capitalthe skills, education and productivity of its workforce. Women account for half of the
potential talent base throughout the world and, therefore, over time a countrys competitiveness depends
significantly on whether and how it educates and utilizes this resource.
OXFAM commissioned Partners in Change (PiC) to conduct a study to assess and analyze the gender
disparity in business management. The study aims to shed light on the presence of women at board and
senior management levels in Indias top 100 companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
Objective of the study:
1. To understand the role of women in the Indian business environment, especially in the context of
decision making at governance and management levels in companies listed in India
2. To identify sectors where women have strong decision making power as opposed to those where
women enjoy marginal status
3. To help Oxfam India plan for its Women Empowerment Program
Scope of the Assessment
The analysis included the top 100 BSE companies, looking at the following four points:
a. Women as Chairpersons
b. Women at the Board Level
c. Women at the Leadership Level (CEO/MD/CMD)
d. Women in the Senior Management positions
Assessment Process
The study is exclusively exploratory in nature. To conduct the assessment, both qualitative and qualitative
research methods were used. The research is principally based on secondary sources of information -
websites of the listed companies as well as other information available in the public domain. Data was
collected, collated and analyzed to evaluate the status of women at the senior corporate level from the
100 top-listed companies.
Data Collation and Analysis
A database on the information of the boards of directors and senior management was created for 100
companies. We extracted the data on female directors using key search words. The recent annual reports
of the companies were downloaded and these are available for cross-reference in case of any doubts. Data
was crosschecked where names did not have the standard prefixes of Ms. Mrs., Smt. or Kumari. Sufficient
care was taken to ensure that we have covered all the women in our data set.
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ASSESSMENT
PiC conducted a secondary survey in 100 top-listed companies rated by BSE. This survey was completed by
analyzing two key categories: governance (including chairperson, percentage of women on board and total
board members) and senior management (including CEOs and managing directors, percentage of women
in senior management and total members in senior management). This section details the analysis of the
project in three sections:
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companies have 20 per cent or more women. Coal India has the highest number of women board members
(four of the 17 members or 24 per cent).
Other Findings
We attempted to identify trends due to the sector of activity and ownership patterns. Based on their share
distribution, companies were categorized as Public Sector Undertakings (29), Multi-National Corporations
(23), family-owned (33) or board-owned (15). However, ownership does not seem to impact the number of
women in positions of authority. MNCs seem to have a slightly higher percentage of women on the board.
Likewise, companies were divided into twelve different sectors of activity and results analyzed. However,
it appears that no particular sector has a strong propensity to hire more women.
We also looked at the profiles of key women in business today. What makes the situation different now is
that, unlike earlier, where women in business tended to hail from business families and worked in the
family business, today's women in business are often first generation entrepreneurs. Nowadays, female
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directorships are also linked to professional qualifications and experience. We provide below a set of
profiles to provide a deeper understanding of womens careers in the corporate world.
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Ms. Prabha Parameswaran
Managing Director, Colgate-Palmolive India
Ms. Prabha Parameswaran joined Colgate-Palmolive India in 1995. She has since held a series of
significant positions in Global Business Development Oral Care and in the Global Toothbrush Division
in New York. She was responsible for developing oral care strategies and new products where she
provided critical leadership to subsidiaries in setting commercial strategies. Ms. Parameswaran
was Marketing Director for Personal Care and Home Care categories in Greater Asia Division before
taking over as Vice-President-Marketing, Colgate-Palmolive India, in September 2007. She then
led the marketing organization in Colgate-Palmolive, Mexico as Marketing Director. Under her
leadership, the sales and market shares of the subsidiary performed strongly. With her broad-
based experience across categories in global, division and subsidiary roles combined with her
strong leadership and proven marketing skills, Ms. Parameswaran, in her current role as Managing
Director to the CPIL Board, which she has held from February 2012, will continue to drive growth in
the Indian Market.
Smt. V. R. Iyer
Chairperson and Managing Director, Bank of India
Smt. V. R. Iyer took over as Chairperson and Managing Director of the Bank of India on 5 November
2012. Prior to this assignment, Smt. Iyer was Executive Director of Central Bank of India from
September 2010 until she joined Bank of India. Smt. Iyer, a post-graduate in Commerce, started
her career in Union Bank of India in 1975. In her career spanning 33 years, she has had the rich
experience of branch banking in very large and crucial branches. She has extensive exposure in
the Credit Department, Credit Monitoring Department and contributed significantly in setting up
the Risk Management Department, rolling out Core Banking Software (CBS), alternate channels and
various other e-initiatives. Smt. Iyer served as Deputy General Manager (Information Technology)
during 2006-07 before getting elevated to the position of General Manager in January 2008. She
held the portfolios of Information Technology and Risk Management there. Her next jump was to
the position of Executive Director of Central Bank of India in September 2010 where she handled
Credit, Treasury, Forex, IT, CBS, Risk Management and Inspection and Audit portfolios.
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Anita Agnihotri
Director, MMTC
Ms. Anita Agnihotri was appointed Part Time Government Nominee Director of MMTC Limited from
May 22, 2012. She is Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser, Department of Commerce, Ministry
of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. She held the charge of Member Secretary in
National Commission for Women, Ministry of Women and Child Development prior to her joining the
Ministry of Commerce and Industry as Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser in May 2012.
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Anita Pai B.Com, MBA
Senior General Manager,ICICI Bank Ltd.
With a B.Com followed by an MBA combination, Ms. Anita Pai serves as Senior General Manager of
ICICI Bank Ltd. Ms. Pai serves as an Executive Vice President, Customer Service and Technology of
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Ltd. and served as its Chief of Customer Service and Chief
of Operations. She has the overall responsibility for the business, including underwriting, claims,
operations, technology, customer service including the call centre and the Six Sigma quality
initiative.
Shilpa Kumar
Senior General Manager, ICICI Bank Ltd.
Mrs. Shilpa Kumar, B.Com, PGDM serves as Senior General Manager of ICICI Bank Ltd. Ms. Kumar
served as General Manager of ICICI Bank Ltd. since June 1989. She has 17 years of experience. She
serves as the Chairman of The Fixed Income Money Market and Derivatives Association of India.
She has been an Additional Director of Clearing Corporation Of India Limited since January 28, 2009.
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KEY OBSERVATIONS
According to the Corporate Gender Gap report brought out by the World Economic Forum (WEF), the U.S. is
leading the way with the highest percentage of female employees (52 per cent), while India has the lowest
(23 per cent). India is relatively young as far as corporate womens leadership is concerned, but it has
moved fast to catch up and align with its global counterparts. According to various sources, although the
number of women in middle management has grown quite rapidly in the past two decades, the number of
female CEOs in large corporations remains extremely low. For example, women directorships on corporate
boards have showed an increasing trend in absolute as well as relative terms from 5.3 per cent in 2011 to
6 per cent in 2012. These percentages are much lower than those for many of the industrialized countries
for which such data is available.
The percentages are low because the womens gender itself remains a deterrent for them. A patriarchal
and male-dominated social order results in a substantial hurdle. It remains a commonly held viewpoint
among men that it is a risk to finance ventures run by women. Male chauvinism is still prevalent in many
parts of the country. In a male-dominated society, women are simply not accorded equal status as men,
and this pervades into all forms of public, private and commercial life.
The elimination of obstacles for female leadership in senior managerial posts requires a significant change
in traditional attitudes and mindsets among people in society; simply creating more opportunities for
women is not enough. The established and successful women entrepreneurs and business leaders can
act as advisors and mentors for the next generation. The lessons learned from these well-established
entrepreneurs would undoubtedly be beneficial in terms of boosting morale and inspiring confidence.
To conclude, while attempting to discern the present situation of gender disparity at senior
corporate level, it is clear that women in India may be considered as a good management option
but a poor bet when it comes to the core management at the most senior level in companies.
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WOMEN IN BSE 100
2 OIL AND NATURAL Oil & Gas Public Sector male 2 13% male 0 0% 32,862 5
GAS CORPORATION Undertakings
LTD
3 TATA CONSULTANCY Technology Board Owned male 0 0% male 2 11% 2,38, 583 31.6
SERVICES LTD.
4 COAL INDIA LIMITED Metal and Public Sector male 4 6% male 0 0% 371,546
Mine Undertakings
9 BHARTI AIRTEL Technology Family Owned male 2 13% male 3 20% 21,299
LTD.
10 HDFC BANK LTD. Finance Board Owned male 1 10% male 1 10% 6,676
12 ICICI BANK LTD. Finance Board Owned male 2 17% female 5 13% 81,254 30
16 MMTC LTD Metal and Public Sector male 1 10% female 1 10% 1,673 19.44
Mine Undertakings
17 TATA MOTORS LTD. Auto Board Owned male 0 0% male 0 0% 59,759 3.5
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GOVERNANCE MANAGEMENT EMPLOYMENT
19 INDIAN OIL Oil & Gas Public Sector male 2 11% male 2 3% 36,198 7.73
CORPORATION LTD Undertakings
20 CAIRN INDIA Oil & Gas Multi National male 1 14% male 1 14% 5,000 9
LIMITED Subsidiary
23 HINDUSTAN ZINC Metal and Multi National male 2 25% male 2 25% 6,742
LTD., Mine Subsidiary
24 JINDAL STEEL & Metal and Family Owned male 1 7% male 0 0% 7,629
POWER LTD Mine
25 POWER GRID CORP Power Public Sector male 2 20% male 5 19% 9,775
OF INDIA LIMITED Undertakings
27 GAIL (INDIA) LTD. Oil & Gas Public Sector male 1 9% male 1 9% 3,703
Undertakings
28 AXIS BANK LTD. Finance Board Owned male 2 15% female 1 20% 21,640 40%
30 NESTLE INDIA LTD. FMCG Multi National male 1 10% male 1 10% 328,000
Subsidiary
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GOVERNANCE MANAGEMENT EMPLOYMENT
40 HCL TECHNOLOGIES Technology Family Owned male 1 10% male 0 0% 81,195 24.5
LTD
42 IDEA CELLULAR LTD Technology Family Owned male 3 21% male 0 0% 6,481
44 ASIAN PAINTS Miscellaneous Multi National male 2 13% male 2 13% 4,640
(INDIA) LTD., Subsidiary
45 OIL INDIA LIMITED Oil & Gas Public Sector male 1 8% male 1 8% 8,634 3.98
Undertakings
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GOVERNANCE MANAGEMENT EMPLOYMENT
61 LUPIN LTD Health Care Multi National male 2 20% male 1 6% 11,000 18
Subsidiary
63 CANARA Finance Finance Public Sector male 3 27% male 3 27% 40,090 21
Undertakings
74 SESA GOA LTD. Metal and Multi National male 0 0% male 0 0% 4,690 20
Mine Subsidiary
75 GODREJ CONSUMER FMCG Family Owned male 2 17% male 0 0% 1,200 5.6
PRODUCTS LTD.
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GOVERNANCE MANAGEMENT EMPLOYMENT
76 JSW STEEL LIMITED Metal and Family Owned female 3 21% male 3 21%
Mine
80 INDUSIND Finance Finance Multi National male 1 10% male 1 10% 9,370
LTD. Subsidiary
88 YES Finance LTD. Finance Multi National male 1 25% male 0 0% 5,642
Subsidiary
90 PETRONET LNG LTD. Oil & Gas Public Sector male 0 0% male 0 0% 309
Undertakings
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GOVERNANCE MANAGEMENT EMPLOYMENT
98 MANGALORE Oil & Gas Public Sector male 0 0% male 0 0% 1,500 6.93
REFINERY & Undertakings
PETROCHEMICALS
TOTALS 1 76 6 79 2,539,061
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