Exec bonus link to increased women's roles

Women on Boards is calling for chief executives' bonuses and key performance indicators to be tied to how successful they are at increasing the number of women in middle and senior management positions.

A group of high-profile Australian executives known as Women on Boards compiled the gender diversity guidelines. The call was voiced by figures including Graham Bradley (chairman of Stockland and HSBC Australia) and Claire Braund, the executive director of Women on Boards.

The group says companies are hiring and training women at entry levels but are failing to arrest a significant shortfall of women in middle-to-senior management. They argue that linking pay and KPIs would hold leaders accountable for improving representation.

According to Claire Braund of Women on Boards, the number of women in senior executive positions was decreasing, despite efforts to hire and develop women at lower levels.

The article specifically mentions Graham Bradley, chairman of Stockland and HSBC Australia, and cites the Women on Boards group led by executive director Claire Braund.

The recommendation would encourage companies to include measurable gender diversity targets—such as increasing the share of women in middle and senior management—among executive KPIs and link those targets to variable pay, making diversity progress part of performance evaluation.

Proposals like this relate to corporate governance and board accountability. Investors tracking governance practices may want to note whether companies disclose diversity KPIs or link executive remuneration to diversity outcomes, as highlighted by Women on Boards.

The article describes a call and guidelines compiled by Women on Boards. It does not indicate these measures are mandatory government policy; they are recommendations from a group of executives and advocates.