Women on Boards

The WOB vision is to increase the number of women on boards and in leadership roles to achieve a gender balance of 40 per cent women, 40 per cent men and 20 per cent of either, or other genders.

WOB aggregates diversity statistics. The group’s gender balance on board series records the progress of women onto boards across 15 sectors of the economy.

The WOB network was started in 2001 by a group of Australian businesswomen inspired by the success of female athletes at the Sydney Olympic Games. Their objective is to help women get selected for board positions.

In 2006 WOB was established as an entity in its own right in Australia. Six years later, WOB launched in the UK.

Membership of WOB is open to all. It is free to register with WOB while there is a fee to join as a full member. It is also possible to join in both the UK and Australia under a global membership.

Advantages of membership include:

• Access to WOB’s advocacy and opportunity to support it.
• Access to a range of programmes that enable members to become board-ready and build boardroom capability.
• Access to curated board and committee positions.
• Being part of a supportive network.

Corporate members

WOB has the following corporate members in 2020:

• AON
• Clayton Utz
• Computershare
• CPA Australia
• GlenRac
• Grant Thornton
• Holding Redlich
• McGrathNicol
• National Australia Bank

WOB also has partnerships with Governance Institute of Australia, Social Index, Leadership Coefficient and Parents on Leave.

WOB arranges a series of events under two banners:

• Become board ready
• Build boardroom capability

• Ruth Medd, executive chair
• Claire Braund, executive director
• Mary Sue Rogers, nonexecutive director
• Carmel Macmillan, nonexecutive director

Claire Braund and Ruth Medd, Women on Boards.