Opinion | Time for new thinking in Hong Kong boardrooms
Companies could consider the young with experience and knowledge as directors
The latest James Bond film, has actor Daniel Craig saying "You must be joking." when he finds out Q is now a baby-faced young man. The nerdy scientist known for supplying deadly gadgets to 007 has traditionally been played by older men.
Letting a young actor play the role is a new twist, but Q showed he was capable of doing the job with his cyber and internet knowledge. However, his appearance made it hard for Bond to swallow the new look.
The same attitude could apply to those who choose which directors sit on which boards in this city. Many chairmen or chief executives, like Bond, would not accept the idea of having a young man or woman on a board.
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing recently undertook a consultation about requiring companies to have policies to encourage diverse board composition.
But what is considered diverse composition? The exchange wants companies to seek candidates of both genders, as well as of all ages and knowledge. The public so far has paid little attention to the age issue.
After the consultation kicked off, many women's rights organisations came out to fight for more females on boards. HKEx statistics show that 40 per cent of listed companies have no female directors while 37 per cent have just one.
But no organisation really talked about another aspect in the HKEx consultation - the ages of directors.
