Live Breaking News & Updates on Rafiah salim

Stay informed with the latest breaking news from Rafiah salim on our comprehensive webpage. Get up-to-the-minute updates on local events, politics, business, entertainment, and more. Our dedicated team of journalists delivers timely and reliable news, ensuring you're always in the know. Discover firsthand accounts, expert analysis, and exclusive interviews, all in one convenient destination. Don't miss a beat — visit our webpage for real-time breaking news in Rafiah salim and stay connected to the pulse of your community

Putting more women in the boardroom

TAN Sri Datuk Dr Rafiah Salim is confident about increasing the representation of women in boardrooms. As the director of NAM Institute for the Empowerment of Women (NIEW), she is concerned about plugging the leaking talent pipeline, which leads to a low supply of senior women leaders in the corporate sector. "That leaking pipeline is a reality; we lose a lot of women at ages 30 to 35," she says. "The result is that we have fewer women [in the workforce] at the higher levels." Established in 2006, NIEW on a larger scope is an agency under Malaysia's Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development. While its main mandate is to empower women from NAM (non-aligned movement) countries through activities, NIEW has a major role to play in equalising the gender ratio on corporate boardrooms across the nation — an importance that is becoming increasingly recognised. In 2011, the government announced a policy for locally-listed companies to have at least 30% sitting on in their boards of directors — a target to be achieved by 2016. "We already have nearly 30% women in managerial level [positions]," says Rafiah. "So, as we move ahead, we shouldn't have problems in getting women onto the boards." In light of this policy, NIEW is tasked with filling the gap. Its Women Directors' Programme was launched a year ago to provide capable female talent. "The basis is to have a pipeline of qualified women to sit on the board, so our role is to manage and train women to become competent directors, even though I think they already exist," says Rafiah. The programme attracted over 200 women last year; this year, 500 will attend. To participate in this programme, applicants have to sit for an online assessment to ensure they meet the appropriate levels of qualification. One-on-one coaching is also given prior to the assessment. "If you don't meet the requirements, you cannot enter the registry," explains Rafiah, adding that this registry serves as a resource for companies seeking board members. "We want qualified women with a certain amount of experience who are able to sit as non-executive directors," she clarifies. For that reason, only those aged 45 and above are eligible. "We'd like to include those who are just retiring or about to retire in the next few years, because they will soon be available to sit on boards of directors. We may lower the age limit as we go along because these are the women who will rise up in the future." The programme involves three modules that encompass technical knowledge and soft skills. The first module instructs participants on technical aspects: Company acts, corporate governance and financial language. The second module comprises boardroom skills and the third gives participants a chance to practice what they have learnt in a simulated boardroom. "We bring male directors in to have a [mock] board meeting; we give them a case study and at the end of the session, we tell them what they did right or wrong," says Rafiah. After one has gone through the programme, networking and being proactive are highly encouraged. "You have to make sure people know you are available to be appointed; you can't just sit and wait to get on a board," stresses Rafiah. "Women don't ask enough about business opportunities, whereas men do. And really, the nomination of directors should be done professionally. Currently, nomination of directors is done on the golf course or through an old boys' network. "So going ahead," she adds, "The nomination committees for the boards of Bursa Malaysia should adopt a more professional way of recruiting directors." However, Rafiah emphasises that this policy implementation is not merely meant to be a quota for women to fill. "When you look at universities that go by merit, you get about 60% female participation rates. So, when we want 30% [women on boards], it is a minimum target that we strategise to achieve because women don't want quotas." In the long run, NIEW targets to train 1,000 women and to have the Malaysian corporate world be pragmatic enough to adopt the policy. She observes that high-performing companies tend to have more female board members, compared with the bottom-ranked ones that are male dominated. "We hope to avoid legislating this policy, I don't believe in forcing people because then women will get appointed only because they are women and companies don't want to get delisted," she opines. "I don't want to see that in Malaysia." Yet the biggest challenge in achieving this, Rafiah concludes, is in changing the mindset of both men and women alike. "Some women feel it is their sole responsibility to raise their family when it is a joint effort... this is unfair for women and for the nation. The country invests so much on education and we educate women based on merit, but when a woman leaves the workforce, the government doesn't get its return on investment. "How can we become a high-income nation if we are not harnessing 50% of our population at the right level?" This story first appeared in The Edge weekly edition of Apr 22 - 28, 2013.

Malaysia , Malaysian , Rafiah-salim , Malaysia-ministry-of-women , Community-development , Institute-for-the-empowerment-of-women , Datuk-dr-rafiah-salim , Women-director-programme , Bursa-malaysia ,

Rafiah Salim retires; Zakri Khir takes over as Chairman of Allianz Malaysia

Allianz Malaysia Berhad has appointed Zakri Khir as Chairman of the Company, effective 23 June 2022.

New-york , United-states , Malaysia , Malaysian , Malaya , Rafiah-salim , Allianzmalaysia-instagram , Linkedin , Facebook , University-malaya , Insurance-company-malaysia-berhad , United-nations

Allianz Malaysia appoints Zakri Khir as chairman effective tomorrow

KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 — Allianz Malaysia Bhd has appointed Zakri Khir as chairman of the company, effective tomorrow, succeeding Tan Sri Rafiah Salim who retired at the...

New-york , United-states , Kuala-lumpur , Malaysia , United-kingdom , Malaysian , British , Rafiah-salim , Zakri-khir , Insurance-company-malaysia-bhd , United-nations , Allianz

Axiata, Bioalpha, Reservoir Link, Allianz Malaysia, CIMB, Omesti, Deleum, TNB, Mestron and Kronologi Asia

Here is a brief look at some corporate announcements and news flow on Wednesday (June 22), which involve Axiata Group Bhd, Bioalpha Holdings Bhd, Reservoir Link Energy Bhd, Allianz Malaysia Bhd, CIMB Group Holdings Bhd, Omesti Bhd, Deleum Bhd, Tenaga Nasional Bhd, Mestron Holdings Bhd and Kronologi Asia Bhd.

Kuala-lumpur , Malaysia , Thailand , Setia , Sumatera-utara , Indonesia , Dewa , Jawa-timur , Laos , China , Indonesian , Deleum-bhd

Allianz Malaysia names Sean Wang as new CEO | Asia Asset Management

Sean Wang, who is currently chief operating officer of Allianz Malaysia, will start in his new role on January 1.

Germany , German , Rafiah-salim , Zakri-mohd-khir , Allianz-malaysia-group , Allianz-malaysia , Sean-wang-wee-keong , Allianz-malaysia-chairwoman-rafiah-salim , Allianz ,

Economic impact of Covid-19 among issues raised at Bumiputera prosperity council meeting — PM

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 26): The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the country’s economy including Bumiputera companies, is among the matters raised by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin at the maiden meeting of the Bumiputera Prosperity Council held virtually today.
The Prime Minister also stressed that strategic interventions were crucial to help Bumiputera companies seize the economic opportunities in the viable and high value-added sectors.
“Insya-Allah, the entrusted members of the Council, as well as its Steering Committee and Working Committee, are capable of coming up with ideas to enable accurate and strategic interventions to be taken to ensure Bumiputera economy remains resilient and competitive,” he said in a Facebook posting, after attending the virtual meeting from his office in Putrajaya, today.

Kuala-lumpur , Malaysia , Muhyiddin-yassin , Kamarul-azman-muhamed , Azman-mokhtar , Rafiah-salim , Mohd-karim-abdullah , Mohamed-yakcop , Datuk-azrin-mohd-noor , Bumiputera-prosperity-council , Council-steering-committee , Steering-committee