Women Directors Malta charter launched to help break glass ceiling

Women Directors Malta help women make the 'right connections' and reach board level

A quality mark that recognises and rewards companies that provide diversity on their boards was launched on Thursday by Women Directors in Malta (WDM), a non-governmental organisation set up to help women get to board level. 

At a conference at the Casino Maltese in Valletta, WDM introduced a charter establishing the WDM quality mark, which will be awarded to companies that place opportunity and access at the heart of their gender equality policy. 

The charter lays down three levels of quality marks for companies to recognise the different standards: entry level, development level and full-status level, with each requiring additional criteria to be met. 

Michelle Gialanze, president of the WDM, said that board appointments should be made on the basis of commercial needs, skills and ability and that there are clear business arguments for appointing women at board level. 

HSBC Malta CEO Andrew Beane said that the bank's partnership with WDM formed part of a wider commitment to diversity and inclusion across its business. 

"I believe that diversity of thought enables better decision-making and am absolutely determined to attract and develop a diverse range of colleagues in a meritocratic way throughout their careers," he said. 

Education minister Evarist Bartolo said it was ironic that the WDM had decided to hold the event at the Casino Maltese, which opened its doors 164 years ago as a gentlemen's club. 

He said that women featured prominently in top positions within the education system, with most school heads - for example - being women, and doing an excellent job of it. 

The minister vouched his support for the WDM's initiative because, he said, something needed to be done.

"I would urge you to go one step further and take what you re doing in the private sector into the public sector which needs more female representation," he said. 

The WDM quality mark follows the EU directive for 2020 and the United Nations’ vision for 2030 to achieve greater gender equality.