Women take control
More and more women are joining the Supervisory Boards of German companies – for example, Siemens and Daimler.
LADIES’ CHOICE. In January 2013 the Turkish entrepreneur Güler Sabanci (photograph) was appointed to the Supervisory Board of Siemens AG, making her the fifth woman on the Munich-based company’s 20-member management committee, alongside Nicola Leibinger-Kammüller from the Trumpf high-tech group and three newly elected female employee-representatives. Sabanci is considered to be one of Turkey’s most powerful women. She directs the family-owned Sabanci Holding, which has a turnover of billions and employs 55,000 people. She also espouses the causes of culture, science and women’s rights. A greater gender-balance is also in the offing at car manufacturer Daimler. After the next general meeting in April 2013, five, perhaps even six, of the Daimler Supervisory Board members will be women. So far, that circle includes Sari Baldauf, ex-head of Nokia Networks, and Patraea Heynike, formerly on the Board of Nestlé. That the former Avon CEO, Andrea Jung, will be appointed is regarded as a foregone conclusion. And on the employee side, three women have a good chance of receiving a mandate. If all the candidates are elected, the Stuttgart company will have met the 30% quota.
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