Despite numerous examples of women successfully managing the largest global companies, especially in challenging economic conditions, their share in the total number of senior and higher management is quite modest.
– It is quite discouraging to talk about decades and decades that we will need to achieve equality; after all, what will happen in the meantime while those decades pass. What is positive in the whole story is that change can start now and immediately – said Bojana Božanić Ivanović, director of the weekly Lider, in the introductory part of Lider’s 12th Women in Business conference held today at Lauba in Zagreb.
– About ten days ago, after ten years of reading, the Directive on Women in Management Boards was adopted. The aim of the directive is to introduce transparent hiring in listed companies on European stock exchanges, so that by June 30, 2026, at least 40 percent of non-executive director positions or 33 percent of all director positions are occupied by women – emphasized Božanić Ivanović.
She added that she knows many women who say they want to be in positions not because they are women, but because they are capable. However, it turns out that in countries where the directive has been introduced, there are more women in management positions.
– Therefore, let’s think about these quotas because we may not have another way. Let’s consider them as a temporary measure that will be in effect exactly as long as we need – added Božanović Ivanović.
Božanić Ivanović also stated that when we decide on a legal framework, there is one more thing that is much harder to apply.
– When we were preparing for the conference, we launched several surveys on social media, and one of them was the question of what should be applied to increase the number of women in management positions. The majority answered that it was culture. So yes, we need legal regulations, but we also need to change the way of thinking. However, that is a process that takes time – emphasized Božanić Ivanović.
And to contribute to positive changes, Lider has once again organized a meeting aimed at highlighting the successful experiences of women in Croatian business and gathering businesswomen, owners, directors, and managers of companies from Croatia, the region, and beyond, while also motivating new ventures and encouraging initiatives to increase the representation of women in the highest positions.
Additionally, Lider marks the 17th year of its annual list of the 300 most powerful women. In this context, Božanić Ivanović pointed out that some positive shifts are occurring. We have never recorded greater managerial power among the 300 women since we have been tracking this list, and secondly, in companies where women have already been in management, the number of women has increased. Thirdly, companies that have women in management report faster growth.
