Millicent Clarke – Increasing the number of females at an executive level to 30% by 2020

What was your message to the women you met at the Women’s Leadership Forum?

I have had the pleasure to meet some diverse and interesting women during my visit, but my message is the same to all. No matter where you are in your career, no matter your status, there are two key things you need to do to get ahead and own your career… (1) Take charge – You are your own driver in your career journey, not HR, not your People leader. We equip you with tools and skills to support you in your career trajectory, but it is in your hands to get the gears into motion. (2) Water your network - You should regularly reach out to people, even if you don’t work directly with them. You never know when you’ll need their help and support. And your internal ‘network’ is critical to your career success. If you don’t water it, your network will wither.

Why are you so passionate about the girl child and women in their career?

I’m very passionate about women’s issues and the development of women in the workforce. I’ve been very lucky throughout my career to have woman mentors and, in my view, now that I am in a senior position, I can pay it forward by helping other women get to where they want to be. Outside of work, together with a group of friends, we have opened up the first private boarding school for girls in Ghana called Legacy Girls College, and I’m very proud of that. I also belong to a club called the Obaasima Club, which in the Ghanaian language means “ideal woman”. In this club, we develop programmes to bring out the potential in girls – be it education, learning skills, other financial aid and so forth.

Women are often faced with family/career dilemma. How is Standard Chartered working on making the situation better for women?

Standard Chartered has been public in its commitment to get more females into executive positions. We have pledged to increase the number of females at an executive level to 30% by 2020. We are on track in reaching our target, with the Bank’s current executive level is at 28% women. We have a strong pipeline of female talent. So to enable women to grow in their career, especially if they are considering having a family, we have implemented a global flexible working practice and increased parental leave benefits that includes 20 calendar weeks of maternity leave, 2 calendar weeks of parental leave for the spouse and 2 calendar weeks for adoption leave. When employees return to work after parental leave, we have made provisions for flexible working arrangement to help transition back into work.

Besides from having to choose between their family and their career, women also have to work harder than men to prove themselves. How is HR, and you as woman in HR, helping to change things?

The corporate landscape has changed significantly for women over the past decade. Diversity and Inclusion are now being looked at as critical business enablers rather than a tick boxing exercise driven by HR. Standard Chartered along with many other banks are clearly communicating D&I strategies and commitments globally. No more is it just talk, Banks are standing up and taking account of their D&I commitments.

I know that women who are currently part of the corporate world or about to enter it will appreciate the opportunities available and the infrastructure to support them. As a bank, we aim to create a culture of inclusivity and therefore all this is very important to us.

Above all, having oversight is a key component of driving change, which is why across our regional footprint, we have introduced D&I Councils in most of our markets to address the operational framework ensuring development, hiring and promotions consider diverse representation.

Women seem more in a position of competition between themselves when trying to achieve career wise as opposed to the network men seem to have. What is the importance of such a network?

It’s an interesting time for women. Whilst we forge ahead with leaps and bounds educationally, economically, and professionally, women face a particular challenge: helping each other s쳮d.

I always advise young women who want to climb the corporate ladder to have a mentor – someone who can give advice on how you are doing in your career and help in building your network. We, women, do not always network as well as men do, but it is important to know who is who and where they are placed. Then it is also important to have a sponsor; someone who will talk on your behalf when you are not there, a person who can vouch for you and is really interested in seeing that you can do the job, etc. Those are some of the things that I attribute some of my successes to: I have practiced persistence in achieving my goals, putting my hand up for new challenges; going ahead and taking risks where others have been riskaverse. I admit, as a woman, I have had to work harder than my male colleagues to gain the recognition.

You position yourself as a mentor, what is the importance of female mentorship to women? What piece of advice would you give woman wanting to climb the corporate ladder?

Young female professionals need to note that every stage of the corporate ladder requires different tactics to survive and climb. At the initial stages, people normally work as individuals to prove that they can do it. However, as they mature into leadership, team spirit becomes crucial. I’ve been very lucky throughout my career to have woman mentors, and in my view, I can also pay it forward by helping other women. It is so important to have a good support network around you. One that you can rely on to pull each other up and who can relate to and understand the journey we are going through.

How about the one who doesn’t want to sacrifice family for career and have both?

As a working parent with a demanding work schedule, I realise the importance of an organisation that provides necessary support. But as a mother, no matter your background, putting one’s family first always comes naturally to us. And it is how our families support us that makes our commitments at work easier for us to deliver.

I always talk about a secure base to enable women to grow in their careers – if you don’t have a solid foundation and support from your husband, children, parents, etc., you will find it hard to manage and could at times struggle with the demands of work and home. For me personally, I always encourage young mothers to spend more time with their children because they are young and they grow up so quickly, you don’t want to miss the milestones.

Having said that for me and where I am in life now, with two adult children who don’t necessarily need their mother every day, it works for me to have a hectic job schedule. They know I am close enough, but they do not want me to be around every day. And having seen this, I always tell women to look at their circumstances and if they can, simply work around them. Once there is a robust infrastructure around you, you can do anything that you want to do!