Breaking the glass ceiling: How India Inc is opening up to women slowly

Think of women leaders at India Inc and there are only a handful to name: a Chanda Kocchar of ICICI Bank, Kalpana Morparia of JPMorgan Chase, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon, or Naina Lal Kidwai of HSBC.

Data has a more dismal picture to paint. As per the World Economic Forum Gender Gap Index only 5 percent of working women in India make it to senior leadership positions. In comparison, the global average is 20 percent. India’s ranking in the index that covers 135 countries is a sorry 113.

Further, not even half of BSE 100 companies women directors on board. Worse still is the fact that only 3 percent of women hold top positions in corporate executive committees. In Europe, the corresponding figure is 10 percent and in the US 14 percent.

“Though there has been an increase in the number of working women in India, advancement of women in leadership positions has not kept pace and their presence in senior management positions is negligible,” notes Devarajan Iyer - Director, Human Resources , Knight Frank India.

But things are definitely changing for the better. According to a survey conducted by Randstad India, 43 percent of Indian organisations believe that women leadership positions will be their success factor.

After this survey was released last week, Firstbiz checked out with a few corporates to find out the ground reality. And the finding was pleasantly surprising. Yes, many of them are indeed planning to spruce up women’s presence in their office.

“We hope to see more women general managers in JW Marriot,” says Divyangana Shrivastava, director of human resources, JW Marriott in Mumbai. Women constitute as much as 50 percent of the leadership team at the five-star hotel chain.

Shrivastava is gung ho about the increasing presence of women in leadership positions. She points out that women are taking over banking sector and more women are also willing to step into HR. “Even PSUs are seeing more women,” she says.

Iyer of Knight Frank believes women can play a significant role in leading corporates to success.

“Over the last few years, there is definitely increased participation of women in senior leadership roles. With conscious and progressive initiatives by companies to increase diversity and inclusion, there should be better representation of women leading India Inc over the next five years,” he says.

So, why are companies banking on women?

“We definitely bring in more sensitivity and emotional intelligence. And that is very important these days,” Shrivastava says.

But it’s not just limited to hospitality which is considered to be a popular and friendly career option for women. In October last year, Ireena Vittal, a former partner at management consulting firm McKinsey & Co, became the first woman to join the board of directors at software services firm Wipro.

Vittal’s appointment came three months after Wipro’s billionaire chairman Azim Premji said the Bangalore-based company will have a woman board member by the next annual general meeting.

“Women leaders come in with a lot of experience and they bring different perspectives…,” Ashok Ganguly, an independent director and chairman of the nominations committee of Wipro’s board, had told The Economic Times in February last year.

“Various studies have shown women leaders to be faring better in multi-tasking, managing teams, relationship management, demonstrate a higher degree of persuasiveness and are perceived to be better crisis managers,” Echoes Iyer of Knight Frank.

He says an increased representation of women in a sector that has largely been male dominated will contribute to higher levels of productivity.

Raja Radhakrishnan, senior vice-president and head, human resources, ABB India, says the scenario in the heavy engineering segment, which has traditionally been viewed as a male dominated bastion, is changing.

“This is a potential that ABB in India has only now begun to consciously tap,” he says. Radhakrishnan points out that at ABB’s new factories at Savli, for example, you can see women wielding heavy machinery.

He says that an improved gender ratio at the workplace will positively impact the organisation’s lateral thinking capability, workplace harmony, efficiency and lower attrition.

“We ensure this even while hiring, wherein if a open position exists, we ensure of the 3 short listed candidates, at least one of them is a woman,” he says.

The number of women in senior management positions in India grew to 14 percent in 2012 in comparison to 9 percent in 2011. And this year is likely to be much better for women corporate. It’s about time that India Inc ensures more women representation at the leadership positions.

Anu Zachariah, head - consulting, Development Dimensions International (DDI), a global talent management expert, says women will bring in more diversity into corporate India. Zachariah believes that women can multi-task and they are capable of being both the provider and home-maker.

“Women are becoming more conscious these days. They need the right support system,” she says.

However, Zachariah adds, that women need to demand what they think is rightfully theirs.“It’s not corporate India that discriminates. Women hesitate to ask. They need to be more assertive,” she says.