The new Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) President Shazia Syed is geared up to set a legacy of increasing the number of women in senior management and senior executive positions in the country.
According to sources, she believes the change can come from the top and the law states that women must be part of the board of directors of a listed company. According to her, the solution lies partly in government intervention and effective policy implementation.
She also emphasized on the ‘white paper’ that the Chamber is currently working on, speaking about it she said, “Mr Aleem also feels that to enact actual change the law will have to come into play. You will have to change the law, and so we’re just waiting for the right opportunity to present our recommendations to the government.”
Speaking about why women are left behind in the Pakistani workforce she said the reason is the personal and societal perceptions they face. She added that the challenge now lies in how to change these perceptions, and not in the why.
She further added, “One of the key factors is the role men can play. We have to be a bit unapologetic about hiring women. If you give people a target they find a way of getting it done.”
Reference: www.dawn.com
