Swiss regional bank Valiant has something that UBS strives for. Axel Weber himself is turning up the heat to make it happen.
UBS Chairman Axel Weber urges executives in the banking industry to appoint a larger number of women to top jobs, according to a report by «Handelsblatt» (behind paywall). «The industry has to understand that it makes good sense to help women in their careers, not least in their own best interest,» he said.
Weber aims to act according to his pledge. UBS in future will have an equal number of women and men on its board of directors. So far, the committee has four women among its eleven members.
Few Good Examples in Switzerland
In doing so, UBS will achieve what Valiant has already completed last week. The regional bank based in Bern elected two women to its board, Maya Bundt and Nicole Pauli. The board of the bank now consists of four women and four men.
Another bank with a strong female presence in the top executive is Edmond de Rothschild, a private bank based in Geneva.
The two examples stand out in Switzerland, where women still have a tough time to reach the top in the finance industry, as a Credit Suisse study showed late last year.
Board, Executive, Upper Management
Weber wants not just to have an equal number of women and men on the supervisory committee, but also to promote female top managers in general. Switzerland’s largest lender aims to have women occupying at least a third of its upper management positions.
And furthermore, Weber suggested that the wealth management business also ought to promote women to its top executive positions.
