HSBC Reports Gender Parity on Board of Directors
HSBC Canada is a “crown jewel” of the British banking giant HSBC group, their president Paulo Maia said, and that it is one of the most profitable for the parent company, which operates banks in 74 countries. It is ahead of the curve in Canada when it comes to promoting women through its corporate ranks and into the boardroom.
Of the ten members of the board at the Canadian arm of HSBC, five are women. Women also hold more than half of the bank’s senior leadership roles – and are firmly at the helm of the bank’s commercial and retail banking businesses in Canada.
HSBC Canada, the largest foreign-owned bank in that country, didn’t get to gender parity by using targets or quotas. Instead, the bank credits a five-year diversity plan – now in its fourth year – along with an extensive system of employee networking groups.
It’s great to see reports like these that set milestones for women on boards. View the full article from the Toronto Star about HSBC’s efforts here.
Is a gender diversity plan in your strategic plan? Helping corporate boards improve gender diversity, one talented woman at a time, is the mission of Women2Boards. We help match boards to talented women from our candidate registry.
