Multiple companies have taken proactive measures to enhance gender diversity in leadership positions, and their endeavors have yielded positive results with increased representation at the highest echelons.
Several companies have taken active measures to enhance gender diversity in leadership positions, and their endeavors have yielded positive outcomes with improved representation at the highest levels.
In India, Accenture boasts a female leadership composition of 29%. Diageo India has achieved a senior leadership team comprising 30% women. Over the past few years, Marico has made significant strides, resulting in women occupying nearly 30% of leadership roles. PepsiCo aims to achieve 40% female representation in its India leadership team by the following year. In recent years, Larsen & Toubro has handpicked 495 female employees to participate in leadership development programs.
Numerous additional initiatives are in the pipeline to further enhance the gender balance at senior levels across various companies, according to several executives who spoke with ET.
However, the overall gender diversity ratio at the leadership level within India Inc. remains significantly skewed. According to the KPMG-AIMA report, which was recently released, 56% of the surveyed companies have only 10-30% women in leadership positions, while 9% lack any female leaders. Lakshmi C, the lead for human resources at Accenture India, stated, "We emphasize gender balance throughout career levels by cultivating a strong pipeline of talented women for middle and senior roles and ensuring women's representation in crucial business and leadership positions, including the board level." Globally, Accenture's board comprises 45% women, while the figure stands at 29% for leaders in India.
Women at Accenture hold significant global leadership roles, including chair and chief executive officer, chief financial officer, chief leadership and human resources officer, chief marketing and communications officer, and chief AI officer.
Marico India recently achieved over 50% gender diversity in decision-making roles within consumer-facing functions such as research and development and marketing, as stated by Amit Prakash, the chief human resources officer. Prakash added, "We actively collaborate with specialized recruitment agencies to ensure a diverse pool of candidates for every position."
Marico has recently introduced two initiatives: Phoenix, a gender-neutral second career program, and Neo Mama Network, a peer support community for expecting and new mothers. Prakash explained, "We recognized that such a platform would provide women with the necessary support, enabling them to share experiences, insights, and discuss common themes during a significant life-stage transition."
PepsiCo has also implemented multiple strategies to improve the representation of women in leadership positions. These strategies include development programs, mentoring networks, and the creation of role models across the entire value chain. Pavitra Singh, the chief human resources officer at PepsiCo, stated, "At PepsiCo India, the representation of women in leadership positions has exceeded single-digit figures since 2020 and has now reached an impressive >30% mark, representing a threefold increase."
L&T has implemented several programs specifically tailored for women in leadership positions, such as Winspire Rise and Winspire Propel, which cater to early and mid-level leadership roles. C Jayakumar, the Chief Human Resources Officer at L&T, explained, "To assist women in embracing and nurturing their leadership identity, we have developed these developmental interventions." These programs have contributed to the creation of a pool of women leaders within L&T, who are prepared to take on challenging roles.
Diageo India currently has approximately 2,600 employees, with women holding executive positions accounting for 27%, senior leadership positions at around 30%, and the India executive committee at 50%. Shilpa Vaid, the chief human resources officer at Diageo India, stated, "Our board comprises four women representatives out of twelve members to ensure the highest standards of governance." Furthermore, Vaid added, "Our goal is to achieve 33% women representation across our executive population by 2025 and 50% women representation in our Senior Leadership Group by 2030." To achieve this objective, Diageo has established a 50% female succession bench for all senior leadership positions.
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