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The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) today signaled its commitment to further promote business practices that give women greater equality and leadership in listed companies.
SET President, Kesara Manchusree led business leaders in ringing the bell at the opening of the afternoon market trading session as part of the “Ring the Bell for Gender Equality 2018” campaign held by exchanges worldwide. It was the first time the SET had participated in the annual campaign, timed with International Women’s Day.
The ceremony at SET headquarters was a collaboration of the SET, the Embassy of Sweden and UN Women Asia and the Pacific. It helped businesses understand their pivotal role in ensuring gender equality in society and allowed them to showcase their best practices.
Kesara said SET has encouraged listed companies to appoint more women to their boards of directors and top managements, moves that would help grow and sustain their businesses.
Of Thailand’s total of 643 listed companies, 12 per cent of these companies have women as the chief executive officer. Four out of five listed companies have at least a woman as independent director in their boards of directors.
Two Thai listed companies, SET-listed Thai Airways International PCL and Central Group, are among the more than 1,000 companies worldwide that have signed the “CEO’s statement of support” for UN Women’s “Women’s Empowerment Principles”. The principles offer benchmarks on corporate leadership, fair treatment of women and men at work, ensuring the health and well-being of female employees, promoting their education and training, and other areas.
“The private sector is uniquely positioned to be part of iconic global movements towards gender equality in workplace settings,” said Miwa Kato, Regional Director for UN Women Asia and the Pacific. “This will empower women to participate fully in economic life across all sectors and all levels of activities and will benefit the global community as a whole.”
Staffan Herrström, the Swedish Ambassador to Thailand, said Sweden’s policy for businesses to give paid paternal leave has eased the way for women to participate equally in the labour force.
“There is a perception, a stereotype, that parenthood is something that happens in women’s lives only, and that parenthood has practical consequences only for women’s lives,” said Herrström. “Paid parental leave for both fathers as well as mothers is an effective way to address that stereotype.”
After the bell-ringing ceremony, United Nations experts, analysts and senior executives from IKEA Southeast Asia and Grab (Thailand) Ltd. held a panel discussion on “Future of Work”.
“Ring the Bell for Gender Equality 2018” is a joint global initiative among UN Global Compact, UN Women, Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative, International Finance Corporation: IFC, World Federation of Exchanges and Women in ETFs. This year, 59 stock exchanges around the world were expected to take part.
