The 2020 Board Diversity Index Report, published by the Governance Institute, found that cultural diversity on Australia's boards had decreased since 2019. That report found that there is no reason for this except inaction.
Rima Capodici says the goal of the Cultural Diversity Working Group is to see the percentage of leadership roles in corporate leadership roles match Australia's diversity.
"It would be a true representation of the culturally diverse people as a percentage in Australia. So right now what we are seeing is a glaring difference between the percentage of culturally diverse people in various Australian communities, which on average sits at between 25 and 30 per cent, and the less than five per cent of community groups sitting in leadership roles. So in the same way where there has been a push in order to make Australian boards gender-equal, made up of 50 / 50, we would want to see 25 to 30 per cent of leaderships roles matching the Australian population to be made up of culturally diverse people.”
Women On Boards intends to use a training model to show people how to secure positions in corporate boardrooms as senior executives.
Ms Raj says placing people with other cultural backgrounds in executive positions allows corporations to better serve the communities they operate within.
"Diversity at the board level and at the executive level is critical for decision-making and as Rima said, we really need to reflect our communities and without diversity at the top level we could not make decisions that benefit the community as a whole."
To hear the full report click on the audio link above.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Find out what restrictions are in place for your state or territory.
Testing for coronavirus is now widely available across Australia. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
The federal government's coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe is available for download from your phone's app store.
The federal government's coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe is available for download from your phone's app store.
SBS is committed to informing Australia’s diverse communities about the latest COVID-19 developments. News and information is available in 63 languages at http://www.sbs.com.au/coronavirus
