Women Board Members Forum celebrates the role of female entrepreneurs

Held on the occasion of March, the Women Directors Forum with the theme "Diversity and Inclusion of Boards of Directors - An Important Factor of Sustainable Development", taking place on March 5, 2025 in Hanoi, affirms the role of women - female entrepreneurs in the era.

The Board of Directors is the highest governing body, representing the voice of shareholders and together with the Executive Board, is responsible for the company's operations. The diversity and inclusiveness of the Board of Directors (BOD) is an important element of the Social (S) factor in ESG and sustainable development. Quality and effective corporate governance starts with a quality and effective BOD, which is diverse and inclusive, committed, and steadfast.

With the aim of continuing to raise awareness of the value of diversity and inclusion in the Board of Directors, and affirming the role of female Board members in building a sustainable business environment, the Institute of Directors (VIOD) organized the Women Directors Forum with the theme "Diversity and Inclusion of Boards - An Important Element of Sustainable Development " in Hanoi.

Ms. Ha Thu Thanh, Vice President of Vietnam Association of Women Entrepreneurs, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Vietnam Institute of Board Members, chaired the Forum.

This is the second year the Forum has been organized, with the support of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX), Institute of Directors of Malaysia (ICDM) and KPMG - a member of VIOD's Corporate Membership Network (CMP). The Forum will provide useful information for Chairmen and Board members to work together towards integrating international best practices in establishing more diverse and inclusive Boards, for the sustainable development of businesses, markets, and the economy .

The forum listened to international sharing and experiences, multi-dimensional perspectives on the impact of women on the Board of Directors, strategies to improve leadership effectiveness in the global context, and solutions to help Vietnamese enterprises integrate diverse and inclusive elements into the Board of Directors.

At the Seminar "Building an effective and sustainable Board of Directors - A perspective from diversity and inclusion", speakers analyzed the current situation and challenges that Vietnamese enterprises are facing in the process of building an effective Board of Directors, providing specific directions to help enterprises improve their long-term strategies.

Discussions from delegates at the Forum showed that the presence of female members on the Board of Directors plays an important role in balancing the decision-making process and promoting prudence in governance. Where female members are on the Board of Directors, they seem to be more meticulous, detailed, but no less decisive than male members. This poses an urgent requirement for businesses to promote inclusiveness, create equal opportunities for female leaders, and build a foundation of good corporate governance practices. To have good female members on the Board of Directors and a Board that is consistent with their strategy and goals, businesses need to implement 4D: Nomination, Training, Evaluation, and Innovation.

With the contribution of Ms. Ha Thu Thanh - a businesswoman, a female leader with two important responsibilities at the Vietnam Association of Women Entrepreneurs and the Vietnam Institute of Directors (VIOD), the Forum showed the attention and orientation of the Leaders of the two above units in building a truly diverse and inclusive Board of Directors - an indispensable objective factor in an advanced and modern Board of Directors.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/dien-dan-nu-thanh-vien-hoi-dong-quan-tri-ton-vinh-vai-tro-cua-cac-nu-doanh-nhan-20250305162229589.htm