Proportion of women on Swiss management boards - the list
The gender diversity consulting firm DOIT-smart has researched the proportion of women on the largest Swiss executive boards. The result: In more than 20 of 130 companies surveyed, women are represented neither on the executive board nor on the board of directors.
The consulting firm DOIT-smart advises and supports companies in the implementation of gender diversity strategies to increase the proportion of women in management positions. In order to get a more differentiated picture of the individual industries, DOIT-smart examined the representation of women in the management and on the board of directors of the largest Swiss companies by industry. The analysis is based on publicly available company data and was conducted between April and October 2018. An overview of the companies (incl. ranking) is available on the DOIT-smart Homepage published on an ongoing basis - other sectors will follow.
Proportion of women on many management boards non-existent
According to this analysis, Adval Tech (industry sector: industry), Unilever Switzerland (industry sector: consumer goods & retail), Biogen Switzerland (industry sector: life sciences), AXA Versicherungen (industry sector: insurance) and Switzerland Tourism (industry sector: federal companies) currently have the highest proportions of women on the executive boards of their industries. In an industry comparison, Unilever and Biogen share the top spot with 50% women on the executive board. However, in 55% of the companies surveyed to date, there are no women at all on the management board (here is the list of "men's groups). The situation is better on the boards of directors, however, with around 73% of the companies surveyed having at least one woman on their board. Overall, gender parity does not seem to play any role at all in around 20% of the more than 130 companies surveyed so far - there are no women either in management or on the board of directors.
Overcoming unconscious thought patterns
But why do many companies still underestimate the economic benefits of a more balanced gender distribution? In most cases, there is no direct intention to deliberately keep the proportion of women in management at a low level, according to the authors of the study. However, there is little appetite among many companies to remedy this situation. Stereotypes and biases are often very pronounced - these unconscious thought patterns can hardly be overcome with conventional methods, they continue. DOIT-smart wants to remedy this "grievance" with its own consulting approach. Companies are supported from a neutral point of view in the implementation of a successful diversity strategy. In the center thereby a business-economically aligned Gender Diversity management stands. In addition, DOIT-smart conducts an analysis of the current situation from two perspectives - employees and management. Existing strategies and processes are scrutinized and analyzed with the goal of creating a company-specific gender profile and identifying the need for action based on the findings. In a second phase, solutions are worked out in cooperation with the company and suitable implementation proposals are developed. DOIT-smart is supported in the start-up phase until 2019 by the Federal Office for Gender Equality (EBG) and by the Canton of Zurich - the Office for Gender Equality.
