The Australian Institute of Company Directors today joined with the Federal Minister for the Status of Women, Julie Collins, to announce the recipients of the coveted Board Diversity Scholarships.

 NACCHO’s  National Governance Project Officer Donisha Duff along with  Jody Currie from  Queensland’s  Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH) were two of these recipients.

For further information on NACCHO Governance and Member Support Initiative

Jointly funded by the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Australian Government, the Board Diversity Scholarship program has awarded 70 scholarships to high performing women such as Donisha nd Jodie across Australia to attend the Australian Institute of Company Directors’ highly regarded Company Directors Course or Mastering the Boardroom program. Recipients also receive a free 12 month membership of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

 The 2012 round of the program attracted more than 1600 applications, with recipients selected based on their experience and readiness for the boardroom by a committee of representatives of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Australian Government’s Office for Women.

 “Successful applicants were able to demonstrate their significant experience and a high degree of leadership potential and capacity,” said John Colvin, Chief Executive and Managing Director, Australian Institute of Company Directors.

 “Nationally, the 70 recipients represent a diverse range of qualifications and experience ranging from the more traditional directorships pathways of banking, finance, accounting and law to the less traditional pathways of communications, human resources, small business, marketing, science and academia,” said Mr Colvin.

 The scholarship program is one of the initiatives by the Australian Institute of Company Directors to support board diversity that includes the Chairmen’s Mentoring Program, Public Sector Mentoring Program, Board Ready program and the Victorian Women’s Governance Scholarship program, for women in the Victorian NFP and community sector.

 Real time statistics compiled by the Australian Institute of Company Directors show that in recent years the number of women on our top boards has grown from around 8 per cent (2008) to 15.2 per cent today. This figure rises to almost 20 per cent when looking at the ASX 20 and ASX 50.

 “The growing numbers of women on our most elite boards prove that companies recognise that a gender-diverse board is good for business and that they are actively seeking out female talent,” said John Colvin.

 “We hope that over time, initiatives like this scholarship program will be extremely valuable and help women to achieve their career goals, as well as further lifting the number of women on our boards,” he said. We are pleased to work with the Australian Government on this important project.”

Background

 The Australian Institute of Company Directors provides education, information and advocacy for company directors Australia wide, with offices in each state to cater for 26,700 members. Our members work in diverse corporations such as small-to-medium enterprises, the ASX200 corporations, public sector organisations, not-for-profit companies, large private companies and smaller private family concerns

Background

 NACCHO  Governance and Member Support Initiative

 Good governance is the foundation for sustainability in all organisations.

  The Aboriginal Community Controlled Health (ACCH) Sector is unique and requires good governance principals and practices that are suitable and adaptive to local diversity, while still upholding quality standards and compliance with legislative frameworks.

 The goal of the NACCHO Governance and Member Support Initiative is to support, enhance and extend the implementation and maintenance of good practice in governance on a coordinated and consistent basis across the ACCH Sector.

 The GMS Initiative will establish Affiliate Member Support Units in each State and Territory to ensure a proactive environment that supports and strengthens ACCH organisations.

 Objectives

  •To create effective and culturally informed National Guiding Principles and Guidelines on Good Governance for the ACCH Sector.

 •To establish a sustainable model for the provision of capacity-strengthening and crisis intervention governance support, mentoring and advice to ACCH organisations in all jurisdictions.

 For further INFORMATION