Board-Ready Women Program 2023

It’s a wrap for the inaugural Deloitte Board-Ready Women Program in Malaysia! An initiative under the Global Boardroom Program, BRW is built in partnership with Boardroom Malaysia, Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia (ICDM) and 30% Club Malaysia.

Introduced in September 2023, we welcomed 26 aspiring female board members across various industries, from both public and private organsations.

The program is designed to empower and equip participants with the skills and knowledge to help them secure a board position. Four interactive modules were held over the course of 2 months, which provided participants with a holistic understanding of the latest trends and case studies. 

Participants also had the opportunity to network and learn from senior board members, industry experts and seasoned professionals.

Module 1: Introduction | Governance & Technical

The first session introduced the fundamentals of corporate governance, covering key concepts such as fiduciary duties, fraud risk and legal considerations as a board member. The participants also had the opportunity to hear from seasoned board members, on managing stakeholders and some challenges that they may encounter in their role.

Module 2: Personal Attributes

This module focused on building their personal brand and developing a strong board profile. Participants also went through a lab to understand, identify, and analyse the different relationship types and traits, to help them better navigate boardroom dynamics. 

Module 3: Boardroom Simulation

Shifting gears, the boardroom simulation was an opportunity to bring theory to life. Taking on various board and C-Suite roles, ladies deliberated on various organisational matters. This simulation was chaired by Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar, chairman of Bursa Malaysia. Drawing from his extensive experience, he provided valuable insights and tips on proper conduct at board meetings and the necessary preparation required.  

Module 4: Inspired-Board Ready Women

The final session shed light into the importance of inculcating a diversified board, challenges women still face on the boards today and how to overcome them.

At the conclusion of our final session, a celebration luncheon was held. This was graced by Datuk Wan Suraya Wan Mohd Radzi, Auditor General, National Audit Department, who shared on the importance of growing women representation on Malaysian boards, among others.

The Board-Ready Women program complements our firm’s current efforts in building a strong pipeline of future woman leaders for the boardroom, supporting the government’s drive towards 30% women representation on boards. 

About Deloitte’s Global Boardroom Program (BRW)

Board-Ready Women Program is an initiative by the Deloitte Global Boardroom Program, which brings together the knowledge and experience of Deloitte member firms around the world to address critical topics of universal interest to company boards and senior management. The program has been launched in 70 countries and aims to create a local and global network of board members to promote dialogue on critical issues and topics relevant to boards and C-suites. The Malaysia Global Boardroom Program combines the knowledge and experience from Deloitte Global with local expertise to address pertinent matters of concern for the 21st century board, offering insights, tools, networks and learning opportunities to help board members stay ahead of the curve.