Climbing the corporate ladder: Slight increase in women appointed to board positions in SA

Diversity and female representation feature prominently in the latest South Africa Spencer Stuart Board Index.

The 2024 index reports that women currently hold 37% of board director positions within JSE Top 50 companies, up from 35% in 2023.

Women also hold 40% of non-executive director positions as well as 22% of executive director (CEO/CFO) positions.

While the 2% annual rise in female board director appointments may not be a significant increase, it does reflect a positive trend, remarks Spencer Stuart board member Mpho Seboni.

He places South Africa in perspective, comparing it to countries like even the US which are faring much worse.

There are countries that are struggling more with diversity of gender, he points out.

"37% isn't fantastic - it's not the 50% that some boards or countries may be aiming towards. But if you compare South Africa with other nations, we're not doing too badly. Look at the US where it's 25%, Japan at 3%, and Switzerland similar to us with 35%."

Mpho Seboni, Board Member - Spencer Stuart

While society in itself may have broader challenges around the treatment of women, in this case the collective called the board has prioritised the advancement of women over the past 20-odd years, Seboni says.