Women in Leadership: How Africa's largest stock exchange approaches diversity

To mark Women's History Month, we're bringing you a special series of the ESG Insider podcast focused on women in leadership. We're speaking to women CEOs and executives from across industries and around the globe.

In this episode, we interview Shameela Soobramoney, Chief Sustainability Officer at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. She explains how the JSE approaches gender equality internally and in its role as an exchange listing the stocks and bonds of hundreds of companies.

"At the JSE, there's a strong advocacy for women empowerment and female representation. And we do believe that it starts with leading by example," she says. "We're the largest stock exchange in the continent, a key player in the South African economy. And [the JSE] has an acute understanding of the role that exchanges must play in driving diversity in all its forms and inclusion beyond just our organization."

She also talks about the challenges she faced starting her career as a woman of color just as South Africa was coming out of apartheid.

"The challenges that women anywhere will face, it feels like were exacerbated for someone like me in a country like South Africa with its past," she says.

"Women need to be each other's supporters," she adds. "That is what we should be doing —and opening the door for others and helping younger women along who are facing some of the challenges that you might have had earlier in your career."

Diversity in leadership has received increasing attention in recent years from stakeholders in the sustainability world. Investors have pushed for diversity on company boards and management teams, and in some parts of the world, that push has extended to laws and regulations. But the number of women in top roles remains low. Read recent research from S&P Global on women in leadership here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/insights/featured/special-editorial/women-ceos-leadership-for-a-diverse-future

And here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/insights/featured/special-editorial/the-path-to-gender-parity

You can listen to previous episodes in our Women in Leadership series here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/insights/featured/special-editorial/women-in-leadership

Photo source: JSE

Copyright ©2023 by S&P Global

DISCLAIMER

This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1, a part of S&P Global.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.

S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.