Malaysian 30% Club Champions Women's Boardroom Leadership

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Wednesday, 21 October 2026

The Malaysian 30% Club has urged corporate executives to move beyond the question of having gender-diverse boards to guaranteeing that women become influential participants in the strategic dialogue and business world. At present, females represent 34.4 % of all board seats in Malaysia's top 100 publicly listed companies, thus making measurable progress in the corporate world and the decision-making process.

The 30% Club Malaysia emphasizes the necessity of initiating important actions as professional sponsorship of women, inclusive leadership, and overcoming of unconscious biases at work. The problems were discussed at the annual Board Mentoring Celebration event organized by the organization. The event was also marked by the graduation of 15 participants from the 11th intake of the Board Mentoring Scheme (BMS), and induction of 24 females into the 12th intake. The nine-month mentoring program was initiated by PWCM Malaysia together with the Malaysian Corporate Governance Institute in 2017.

Key Highlights:

• Women hold 34.4% of board seats in Malaysia’s top 100 listed companies
• Board Mentoring Scheme supports women leaders, with 47% securing board appointments
• 30% Club Malaysia promotes inclusive leadership, sponsorship and male allyship

During the keynote speech, Nurul A'in Abdul Latif, the chair of 30% Club Malaysia and the executive chair of PwC Malaysia, stated the importance of assisting future women directors with gaining more exposure through networks and sponsorship, which will give them more opportunities to sit on the boards. Moreover, she noted the role of men in promoting gender-balanced leadership as the promotion of women requires collective efforts from the leadership side.

Some of the key issues addressed at the conference included unconscious bias, leadership appointments, and the Men Allies for Parity initiative. The latter was created to acknowledge those men who facilitate women's access to the leadership board.

The objective of the mentoring program is to train senior women leaders in preparation for board level roles through development of their leadership skills and enhancing their knowledge of corporate governance. The programme has helped more than 179 senior women leaders, where 47% of the mentees have been appointed to board seats at publicly listed companies, SMEs and trade associations.

.The organization made it very clear that they were dedicated to ensuring that women’s views are taken into consideration and valued in the decision-making process of the corporation. Chapter 30% Club Malaysia was established in the month of May in 2015, as an international movement with the aim of bringing Diversity, Equality & Inclusion (DEI) in the corporate world.