NZ businesswomen aim to go global

The new group will try to get more women in senior positions in NZ business, says constitutional lawyer Mai Chen. Photo / Greg Bowker

Some of New Zealand's most high-profile businesswomen are backing a new organisation to be launched in July.

Among the women involved with New Zealand Global Women are former prime minister Jenny Shipley, constitutional lawyer Mai Chen, Police Minister Judith Collins, company director Patsy Reddy and Securities Commission chairwoman Jane Diplock. The group aims to create a collegial network for top New Zealand women with global aspirations.

"First, we are creating a network for people who are there at the top," said Shipley. "It's lonely at the top. Time will tell, but by making these women more accessible to each other, the sum total of the whole will be better."

The group planned to mentor and identify women with potential from all walks of life and groom them for the boardrooms of New Zealand and abroad.

It "intends to do what is necessary to see New Zealand women well represented in senior positions, in boardrooms, and in top management", said the group's chairwoman, Mai Chen.

According to the 2008 Census of Women's Participation report, there are only 45 women on the boards of the top 100 companies listed on the stock exchange - only 8.65 per cent of the available directorships.

"New Zealand companies are the poorer for not having these women on boards," said Shipley.

The high-powered group has attracted support from Prime Minister John Key, who will speak at its launch at the University of Auckland Business School. Business New Zealand is also supporting the group, as is the Ministry of Women's Affairs. Four corporate sponsors - IBM, Westpac, NZ Post and Vodafone - have signed up and two more are in discussions.

The initial 90 senior members NZGW was aiming for would be women who had held very senior leadership positions in an influential company or organisation - public, private or non-profit - said Chen.

Women who have accepted invitations to join include Joan Withers, chief executive of Fairfax Media; former MP Katherine Rich; CMS Capital chief executive Catherine Savage; company director Roseanne Meo; and former MP and academic Marilyn Waring. The up and coming talent they identify will be associate members.

John Allen, chief executive of NZ Post, said his company's sponsorship was a "very modest sum against the value that would be extracted" from the association with the group. "If you look at the distinguished list on that advisory board, there's a wide range of very successful New Zealanders, and having access to that talent pool is quite extraordinary."

Until recently, New Zealand had a plethora of women in powerful positions, said Allen. But with the departure of people such as Helen Clark, former Westpac head Ann Sherry and Telecom's Theresa Gattung, "suddenly it's a very shallow pool".

"There is enormous potential to deepen that pool," Allen said.

Allen, whose board has three women, said NZ Post already ran leadership programmes for women.

Mary Devine, chief executive of EziBuy, which funded research for the group, said she and other members would be putting increased pressure on their company boards about lack of diversity. The board of EziBuy is all male.

Bridget Liddell, head of the NZ Trade and Enterprise Beachhead programme in the US and principal of Fahrenheit Ventures, will head the international arm of NZGW.

While she already received plenty of approaches from entrepreneurial women, she hoped women would start thinking bigger.

"I would like to see more businesses take the step of setting up here, not just putting product on to boats and send them off but establishing businesses and expanding brands here."

THE NZGW BOARD
* Jenny Shipley, former PM, managing director, Jenny Shipley NZ.
* Mai Chen, partner, Chen Palmer NZ.
* Jane Diplock, chair, Securities Commission.
* Sarah Kennedy, CEO, Vitaco Health.
* Bridget Liddell, managing principal, Fahrenheit Ventures.
* Jenny Morel, managing partner, No 8 Ventures.
* Wendy Pye, managing director, Wendy Pye Publishing.
* Patsy Reddy, director, Active Equities.
* Annah Stretton, CEO, Stretton Clothing & Stretton Publishing.
* Katrina Troughton, director, IBM's WebSphere division.