E.on wants more women as bosses

The pressure on the male dominance in the economy grows: After German Telekom, now E.on also wants to increase the share of female executives in the group. A legal quota however has been strictly objected.

An advance for women from a woman: In the energy group E.on, more women are supposed to be able to climb the social ladder. "The share of female managers, which is currently at 12%, should increase", said Regine Stachelhaus, new work director at E.on. Clear objectives must be given to reach a higher percentage of female executives, that should have the same status as revenue targets, said the 55-year-old.

The subject receives higher and higher status within the German economy and politics. Last family minister Kristina Schröder agitated strongly for a legal solution. Until 2015, the economy had to increase the share of female executives to 20%, demanded the minister.

That is an ambitious goal. For presently there are less than 1% of women in the boards of the Dax Companies. In the supervisory boards, approximately 12% are women - only because the employers dispatch disproportionately many women into the control group.

The German Telekom had announced in March as the first Dax Company that the international percentage of women in management should increase by the end of 2015 to 30%.

Stachelhaus however does not agree to a legally decreed woman quota - and with this is in line with most other companies’ opinion. Just as important as the percentage of female executives is the ratio between young and old and their internationalization. "The pace of change is nowadays so high in the economy that only heterogeneous teams can bring good results. If in a team everyone thinks alike, it becomes difficult", she says.

The discussions about this issue are many and differ from country to country. In some countries public opinion is in favor of a quota system. In 2004, by inaugurating a quota system stipulating a minimum level of 40% women on company boards, Norway was the first country that really showed that they wanted to change the current situation. In spring 2007, Spain decided to go the same way – not only in the board rooms but in order to increase the number of women in the business world.

The pros and cons of quotas have caused a lot of discussions. For fear that the competence of the board could be diluted by quotas; many companies disagree to a legal solution. Their argument is that board members should be elected not because of gender but because of experience, competence, ability. Whatever one’s opinion about the method, we should all be able to agree on the fact that the discussion caused by the idea of a quota system draws attention to the lack of women in executive positions.

Our populations, our markets, our staff all consist of around 50% women and 50% men. The role of the board is to ensure that the company develops further, is competitive, and looks after their shareholders’ interests. From this point of view, the constitution of the board should aim to reflect the population, its market, its staff and create a dynamic atmosphere in the board rooms.

In order to renew and develop the boards and to let them reflect the market more clearly, and even better look after the shareholders’ interests we have to find better ways. We have to show that there are new, competent, experienced and devoted potential board members outside the long-serving, well-established selected few.

Second Woman on the Board of Siemens

In an extraordinary supervisory board meeting on 09.06.2010, Brigitte Ederer was appointed to the Central Board of Siemens as the new Head of Corporate Human Resources, with special responsibility for the Region Europe, and as Labor Director. The Austrian starts with tailwind, for investors have currently hardly something to carp on at Siemens. Nevertheless, there will be no time to breathe deeply.

From a media point of view, the fact that Siemens appointed the second woman to the Board of Directors would have probably already passed as confirmation in order to attest the technology group a profound change. On top Siemens has appointed not any woman but Brigitte Ederer, who became known besides her job as President and CEO of Siemens AG Austria and CEO of the Cluster Central-Eastern-Europe for her governmental involvement as a SPÖ delegate and professed socialist. She of all things is now moving onto one of the most important Siemens group posts.

The 54-year-old economist will have to prove whether her political and diplomatic skills, that resulted in her post of a Secretary of State for European affairs, also works on the large, international Siemens stage.