THE FOUR PATHS FOR ADVANCING WOMEN ON CORPORATE BOARDS

Abstract

The Singapore-based author is Managing Director of Communicatio, a privately held consultancy, and a longtime corporate executive. She writes about how women can have a greater presence on corporate boards of directors. She notes the crucial nature of sponsorship, and writes: “Sponsorship occurs when there is a more powerful and influential leader who is willing to invest and spend their political capital for a younger talented leader to progress ahead.” The importance of sponsorship programs is also stressed, with examples such as Deutsche Bank’s ATLAS program. She says the acronym stands for “Accomplished Top Leaders Advancement Strategy.” She describes her involvement with BoardAgender, “an initiative that was launched in March 2011 by the Singapore Council of Women’s Organization.” She describes in detail four paths to the boardroom: becoming a Chief Executive Officer/CEO; the skills-based path; Towkay’s Daughter; and recognized expert. Within path 1, an example is “Tan Su Shan, who became the first female CEO of DBS Bank in March 2025.” From path 2, Tan Yee Peng, a former partner at KPMG; in path 3, Chew Gek Khim, a “successful businesswoman, a chairman of two boards, and an independent director of multiple boards in Singapore and abroad.” In path 4, Jessica Tan, a “technology veteran who had stellar careers at IBM and Microsoft.”