Page 14 - 2018 Powerlist
P. 14
Letter from
the Publisher
As you will see, this edition of the Powerlist has a strong focus on the
achievements of women. Why? Well, we became aware that over the years we
were becoming rather male-centric, particularly in terms of the ratio of men to
women on the list. Last year it was 65/35 in favour of men and it had been similar
in the four or five preceding years.
As an organisation that is founded on and believes in the basic principles of
diversity and equality, we simply had to do something about it.
We realised, quite quickly, that the problem lay in the fact that not enough
women were being nominated for the list in the first place, so that’s where
we started. We made a conscious effort to ensure that when we approached
potential nominees for this year’s list we explained to them our problem and
asked them to keep an eye out for more female candidates. We spread the
word on social media, too. And it worked. For the first time we were able to
present the judging panel with a choice of more new candidates who were
women than were men.
We then decided that, in order for us to ensure that our efforts paid off, we
would throw in some positive action. So if two candidates were considered
equal – one man, one woman – the woman would be chosen. Not positive
discrimination – positive action.
The net result is that we have the highest number of women on the list ever,
and in the top 10, women outnumber men for the first time. All that and several
women who made last year’s list, still didn’t make this year’s. So from a quality
standpoint, the list is just as good as it has ever been, if not better.
If only so many of the organisations that shout so loudly from the rooftops
about wanting a diverse workforce, particularly at senior levels, realised that the
problem can be solved by using the same methods: put in a big enough effort to
find people and you will be successful. Simple.
The difference, and it’s a crucial one, between us and them is one, perhaps, of
approach. Our view was that the women we sought are out there, ‘let’s go and
find them’; what I hear far too often is the refrain, ‘they’re simply not there, what
can we do?’
Negativity never got anyone anywhere. You’re defeated before you even start.
The moral of our story: ‘Positive action, combined with positive thinking, brings
positive results.’
Next year, I’m pretty certain we’ll hit 50/50. Why? Because I know that there are
enough women who are influential enough to enable us to hit our target. Simple
as that. If only everyone else in this space could follow our lead.
Michael Eboda
Publisher
10 Powerlist 2018