Best telco to ace “Diversity in Leadership”: Spark (Asia Pacific telecom service provider winners 2022)

Summary

Building a diverse and inclusive workforce has become a priority across the telecom sector, with particular attention on addressing the persistent underrepresentation of women in industry leadership roles. Progress on this front increasingly shapes how operators are evaluated by customers, employees and investors alongside more traditional financial and operational performance metrics.

A New Zealand operator was the first telecom company in the country to achieve Rainbow Tick certification, a recognition awarded to organisations that actively embrace diversity of sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace. Gender balance extends across its board and leadership structures, with women well represented among directors, including the chief executive role, and leadership teams split evenly between genders at the most senior level.

The operator has set a forward-looking representation target that moves beyond a simple binary split, aiming for a workforce composition that includes gender-irrespective and gender-diverse representation alongside balanced male and female participation. This positions diversity not as a static achievement but as an ongoing target the company continues to work toward across all levels of seniority, from the boardroom down through its senior leadership bench.

What does genuine diversity in leadership look like when a company sets its sights beyond a simple gender balance?