Gender Equality in Corporate Leadership

in partnership with IFC and UN Women
Event
Session Type
Conference
Session Themes
Gender Equality
Room number
Hall 3 Room 9
Contact Email
Anthony.Miller@un.org
17 October 2023
14:30 - 16:00 Abu Dhabi
Asia/Dubai

The event provides market leaders with an opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities to make greater contributions to achieving SDG 5 on gender equality. This session will examine the role of stock exchanges and other key market stakeholders in promoting gender equality in their markets. The discussions will examine the progress of gender balance in corporate board rooms and other positions of corporate leadership, and will consider the range of strategies deployed, including market education programmes, gender equality themed equity and bond products and standards and norms development.

Gender equality is a top priority on the international sustainability agenda and one of the UN SDGs. Businesses are improving their practices, developing public-private partnerships, and investing resources to achieve gender equality. While it is increasingly recognized that advancing gender equality through business operations and value chains means better talent, higher productivity, more customers, and a stronger bottom line, progress remains slow. To achieve the UN SDGs, market participants need to continue to advance at a fast pace.

Session themes:

  • What role can exchanges play in promoting gender parity?
  • What role does regulation play in achieving gender equality?
  • What role can equity, bond and other financial products play in promoting or financing achievement of SDG 5?
  • How can exchanges promote an increase in female participation on their issuers’ boards?
  • What role can market education programmes play in promoting gender equality?

Speaker(s)

Chief Executive Officer, Bursa Malaysia
Secretary General, Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges (FEAS)
Managing Director Ghana Stock Exchange
Lead, IFC's Women on Boards and in Business Leadership Program, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Chairperson, Kazakhstan Stock Exchange
Deputy Executive Director a.i. for UN Coordination, Partnerships, Resources and Sustainability, UN WOMEN
ESG Lead and Senior Officer Corporate Affairs & Investor Relations, Nairobi Securities Exchange
Head of Sustainable Finance, Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSE)
Chief Coordinator, UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges, UNCTAD
Head, SSE Academy, UN SSE
Head of Corporate Equalities, Due Diligence and Supply Chains Sustainability, UK’s Department for Business and International Trade

Moderator(s)

Global Manager, Corporate Governance and ESG Advisory, Knowledge and Learning, International Finance Corporation (IFC)