NZ has high rate of men-only boards

New Zealand businesses have the most all-male boards out of the Asia Pacific region, according to a new survey.

The latest research from executive recruiter Korn/Ferry shows that 65 per cent of all company boards in New Zealand are male-only, more than in India, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

It is more than double the figure of male-dominated boards in Australia, where 29 per cent of companies have boards made up of men only.

There has been no improvement since Korn/Ferry surveyed the number of women on New Zealand boards last year. It revealed in July 2011 that only 35 per cent of Kiwi boards had any female members.

''The world is taking notice of the potential and power of women as consumers, as leaders, and as a growing majority of the talent pool," Korn/Ferry Asia Pacific global consumer market managing director Alicia Yi said.

''Companies have started to recognise that successful boards should reflect the markets they serve and that homogenous leadership teams can be less equipped to do business in an increasing complex business environment.

''As Asia's growth trajectory propels it to a central spot in the global economy, the most effective boards will be the ones that are international with functional, sector and gender diversity.''

The survey found that of executive directors in New Zealand, 3.4 per cent were women, while 11.4 per cent of non-executive directors were female and 8.5 per cent of independent non-executive directors were women.

The study found that typically female directors had shorter tenures and were three years younger on average than their male counterparts.

They were more likely to be from an educational, law or accounting background while male directors came from science or engineering backgrounds.

The study surveyed the largest 100 companies in each of seven Asia Pacific countries including New Zealand, Australia, India, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Singapore. 

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