KUALA LUMPUR: The 30% Club Malaysia has launched the Men Allies for Parity initiative to engage male leaders in boardrooms, C-suites, and policymaking roles in driving systemic change for women’s representation in leadership.
The initiative emphasises that meaningful change is only possible when everyone—regardless of gender—actively participates in this transformative journey.
“This initiative shifts from advocacy to action, with male allies making a pledge to show their commitment to advancing women’s representation in top decision-making roles, including in boardrooms and senior management,”
said Nurul A’in Abdul Latif, Chair of the 30% Club Malaysia and Executive Chair of PwC Malaysia.
Nurul added that based on data provided by the Securities Commission Malaysia as of April 1, 2025, women hold 33.1% of board seats in Malaysia’s top 100 public-listed companies (PLCs) on Bursa Malaysia, up from 14% in 2015. Women currently make up 28% of board members across all PLCs.
“The 30% Club believes that balanced leadership is a strategic advantage for businesses and leads to better business outcomes. This is not about tokenism, compliance, or furthering self-interest, it’s about building the conditions for the best talent to excel. The Men Allies for Parity movement recognises the value that equity brings for both men and women. The support of the men in our network is not just welcome, but essential in the path to parity.”
Nurul was speaking at the 30% Club Malaysia 10th Anniversary celebration held in Kuala Lumpur recently. Also present at the celebration was Securities Commission Malaysia’s Executive Chairman Dato’ Mohammad Faiz Azmi.
She said for the past decade; the 30% Club Malaysia has worked to raise awareness and push for more women to be included on company boards. The Men Allies for Parity initiative highlights real actions and shared responsibility, with the aim of shaping an Inclusive Future together—the guiding theme of the 30% Club Malaysia this year. It resonates with the vision of creating a future where gender equality and inclusivity are integral to the success of organisations and society at large.
The Men Allies for Parity pledge includes commitments such as endorsing emerging women leaders for senior roles, ensuring female candidates are considered in executive and board searches, setting internal targets to increase women’s representation in top management, and implementing transparent reporting mechanisms on gender composition and progression.
A light-touch monitoring framework is being developed to track progress. The focus is on transparency, allowing organisations to learn and improve. Peer accountability and public transparency will drive the approach, with progress showcased through case studies and success stories to encourage wider adoption.
The 30% Club Malaysia is a business-led campaign with a primary focus on facilitating at least 30% women representation at senior decision-making levels in Malaysia, including boards and C-suite. The campaign supports setting voluntary gender balance targets instead of mandatory quotas, with 30% being a tipping point towards achieving true parity. While gender parity is the main focus, the 30% Club Malaysia also supports wider inclusion, helping to build strong talent pipelines and workplace cultures where everyone can succeed and lead.
The 30% Club Malaysia’s approach is voluntary. It operates with volunteer professionals and business leaders from various industries taking ownership in driving change and advancing gender diversity as a strategic imperative.
The event was supported by the Securities Commission Malaysia and our event partners are ASTRO, Berjaya Corporation Berhad, Bursa Malaysia Berhad, Malaysian Institute for Development of Professionals, Nespresso Malaysia, Star Media Group, Sunway Berhad, Tropicana Corporation Berhad, TBWA Malaysia, and Velesto Energy Berhad.
