Theresa May challenges Irish bosses on gender equality

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will tell an audience of business leaders that until we achieve gender equality, we are an “unfinished republic” and that we still have a long way to go.

The 30% Club supports the achievement of a minimum gender balance of 30 percent women at higher decision-making levels in companies and organizations.

Lady Theresa May will speak at the Dublin Castle event on empowering the next generation of women decision makers.

Her speech challenges “every single male CEO who looks around his boardroom table and sees nine out of ten male faces staring at him to ask themselves what they are doing to make their business a company where their daughter or granddaughter can move forward.” .

“We need to ask what leaders are doing to make sure they have the widest possible range of opinions and experiences,” she will say.

“Part of that has to be thinking creatively in terms of recruitment – to not just look at the people who fit into a traditional career path, but to open up opportunities for others, thus ensuring an appropriate pipeline of talent into the future.”

She will say that this doesn’t just apply to private sector companies. She is expected to congratulate An Garda Síochana on becoming the 300th member of the 30% Club. She will say they have done “so much” to highlight the importance of diversity in the workplace.

The Taoiseach will emphasize that Ireland is an attractive country to invest in and funds and companies want to see progressive and balanced management teams.

In his speech he notes that reporting on the gender pay gap became mandatory for Irish companies for the first time last year.

“This was an important step in identifying and working towards the gender pay gap and I know many companies are focusing on improving this within their own organisations,” he will say.

“It makes sense to ensure that boards and leadership teams of companies in Ireland are diverse.

“Not just because it’s the right thing to do, given that women make up half the population and represent half the skills and talent, but also because it makes economic and business sense. It is well established that companies with higher levels of gender diversity, and indeed diversity in their boards and senior leadership teams, generally perform better.”

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris will say that while An Garda Síochána has improved gender diversity, it recognizes that there is “more work to be done”:

“The two deputy commissioners of An Garda Síochána are female, and 50 percent of our senior leadership team are now women. We have women leading many of our operational and administrative functions and we have one of the highest percentages of female police officers in Europe,” he said in his speech.

“However, women should be better represented at the inspector and superintendent level, and to that end we set up a women’s network in 2019.”