This network seeks to promote gender equality in the Boards of Directors

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It will take 99.5 years to reach gender parity , predicts the World Economic Forum. However, in Mexico, the participation of women on the boards of listed companies is 8.7% and only 2.2% are independent directors.

To help close this gap and build bridges between high-profile women and companies, in addition to making female talent visible and promoting their participation in the Board of Directors, the IPADE Research Center for Women in Senior Management (CIMAD) Business School, presented, in conjunction with CEMEX, Credit Suisse and EY México, the Platform Network of Counselors and Experts Mexico.

The Network of Counselors will function as a directory in which not only women who are already members of a council or who have experience in it will be registered, but also women who are ready to be counselors and experts in different topics who can be invited to panels or to different forums.

When presenting the initiative, Yvette Mucharraz y Cano, director of CIMAD, pointed out that Mexico lags behind in the inclusion of women on Boards of Directors : “ Mexico is the third-to-last country to have the lowest female presence on Boards among the countries of the OECD. We found that 28% of the companies listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange do not have women on their Board. The female incorporation rate is also low, just 0.6 percentage points between 2018 and 2019. If this trend continues, until 2088 we will achieve gender equality in the most important body of public companies ”.

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Likewise, she affirmed that female talent is ready to form part of the Councils and highlighted the importance of facilitating the visibility and access of more women to the highest administrative body of organizations: “This is, without a doubt, a historic effort to achieve this increase. All this female talent can be incorporated in an accelerated manner to the Boards of Directors if we facilitate the visibility of women with the skills and characteristics to join these positions ”.

More women making decisions

She explained that they will also work with companies to incorporate more women and assign them places in decision-making at the highest level: “How does it work? The potential new counselor is registered in the directory. The company that does a new search obtains the visibility of women who perhaps are in another location or who require certain qualities and who have not necessarily been able to contact them. So here, from CIMAD, we act as a liaison ”, added Mucharraz.

For her part, Martha Herrera, CEMEX’s Global Director of Social Impact, commented: “At Cemex, we recognize the key importance that women play in economic development and the richness of having diverse teams. With the support of this platform we want to follow up on our commitment to promote and empower women in our country to participate in leadership positions in companies “

“We support this initiative because we consider that its objective is organically aligned with the values that we practice within Credit Suisse. Within our board of directors, we have the presence of five outstanding executives, so representation is an aspect that we take into account on a daily basis ”, highlighted Arlene Schuchard, Senior Relationship Manager UHNWI (Individuals with Ultra High Net Worth), in Credit Suisse.

“At EY we believe that in order to promote the participation of more women in the Councils it is necessary to create this type of space where they are given visibility, exchange experiences, create networks and in this way demonstrate that there are women with the talent and experience necessary to perform in the highest leadership positions, ”commented Guadalupe Castañeda, EY Mexico Partner and Director of the EY Mexico Network of Counselors.

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Are you ready to participate in a Council?

The profiles within the council are complementary due to the diversity regarding the personal attributes, experience, knowledge and competencies of its members. Here we present the main competencies and skills that are required:

Leadership competencies

• Direction and strategic planning.
• Business vision in a changing environment.
• Clarity of ideas.
• Decision making.
• Opening to listen.
• Formulation of relevant questions.
• Ability to question.
• Willingness to learn.
• Flexibility.
• Innovation.
• Ability to provide strong arguments and defend them.
• Ability to diagnose business challenges (quantitative and qualitative).
• Temple to handle under stress scenarios and decisive moments.

Technical knowledge

• Finance: Ability to read and interpret financial statements
• Knowledge of the sector / industry
• corporate governance
• Sustainability (ESG: Environment, Social, Governance)
• Technology (digital evolution)
• Risk management

Experience in:

• Management and / or decision-making positions on objectives, with a significant contribution to business results.
• Your professional career has been outstanding
• Your career has allowed you to acquire knowledge that you can contribute to the council.
• You have a time commitment for dedication to the advice and knowledge of the company.
• You have knowledge of the politics, relationships and networks in which organizations are immersed.
• You have started a successful business.

The Network of Counselors and Experts Mexico   It has the collaboration of ITAM, the Tecnológico de Monterrey, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the Ibero-American University, the Anáhuac University, the Panamerican University and the La Salle University.