Women on Boards Roundtable Announced by AER

The Association of Executive Recruiters (AER), the REC’s specialist sector group for executive search and selection consultancies, has announced a new roundtable event about women on boards with a specific focus on improving the talent pipeline.

 In 2011, the AER has taken an active role in driving the diversity agenda; the group has helped formulate the voluntary code of conduct for head-hunters required by the Lord Davies review, contributed to the UK Corporate Governance Review (recommending companies establish a policy on boardroom diversity) and engaged in regular dialogue with the Government Equalities Office, considering how best to implement the Lord Davies recommendations  for the search and selection community.

Commenting on the value of the roundtable session, David Winterburn, Chair of the AER said:

"Most clients know the proven business benefits of having a more diverse board. As a professional head-hunters, members of the AER share this view but the stark reality is that many companies have not trained or  sufficiently mentored women as they progress in their career. As a result, the executive search community is finding it  difficult to identify female candidates who have the required skills and experience for board level positions.

“However, simply retorting that this is a supply issue does not address the fundamental problems. We need to break down the structural barriers holding women back. We need to examine policies to support women with young children and explore networks to help women navigate their careers. I believe there is a role that AER members can play and this is why we are holding a roundtable which will look at improving opportunities for senior women, thereby boosting the talent pipeline.”

 If you are an AER Member, or from a group interested in the promotion of women on boards, please click here https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9WWXS3S to register to attend. The event will be taking place on Monday 12th December from 4pm to 6pm.