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If the EU had its way, more companies would emulate Starbucks, which appointed Hearsay Social chief executive Clara Shih to its board in 2011. Photo: hearsaysocial.com

EU Parliament backs quota for women on boards

The European Parliament has backed a proposal calling for a 40 per cent quota of women on company boards by 2020.

The EU parliament approved the proposal by a 459-148 vote with 81 abstentions on Wednesday, but the toughest test will come when it goes to member states for further discussion as soon as next month.

EU Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding called the resolution a “historic moment for gender equality in Europe”.

The Commission says that last year less than 15 per cent of board members at Europe’s biggest companies were women.

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