A rustic of unicorns however not sufficient ladies CXOs to run them? – Firstpost

India’s tech-fuelled unicorn increase could also be an emblem of financial vitality and entrepreneurial spirit. However beneath the floor of sky-high valuations and headline-grabbing progress lies a troubling reality: the C-suite executives (CXOs) of India’s unicorns stay overwhelmingly male.

A brand new report by expertise options agency Xpheno reveals that ladies occupy simply 10 per cent of prime government roles throughout 117 Indian-born unicorns,
Instances of India reported.

The examine analysed 400 CXOs and located that the gender imbalance is especially acute in core enterprise and product-facing positions. Whereas ladies make up greater than half of all Chief Human Useful resource Officers (CHROs), they symbolize a mere 2 per cent of Chief Govt Officers (CEOs), and fewer than 1 per cent maintain Chief Expertise Officer (CTO) or Chief Data Officer (CIO) titles.

Advertising and marketing is barely extra various— ladies account for 18 per cent of Chief Advertising and marketing Officers (CMOs)— however the broader image stays grim. The report paints a transparent picture of gender-role clustering: 62 per cent of feminine CXOs are concentrated in HR, whereas 45 per cent of male CXOs occupy the extra strategically influential roles of CEO, CTO or Chief Monetary Officer (CFO).

“Variety has clearly made inroads into HR however stays marginal in roles traditionally related to core enterprise and product capabilities,” the report concludes. And it isn’t for lack of expertise— ladies CXOs common 24 years within the workforce, barely larger than their male counterparts at 22 years.

A gradual climb to the highest

One of many extra putting findings of the report is the age distribution of girls in management. Amongst CXOs aged 33 to 37, solely 7 per cent are ladies. This quantity climbs to 16 per cent within the 48 to 52 age group, suggesting that ladies take longer to ascend to the best ranks. The explanations are each systemic and private, in accordance with Siddharth Verma, head of government search at Xpheno.

“The relative time taken for ladies leaders to maneuver up the ranks does show a lag compared to their male counterparts,” Instances of India quoted Verma as saying. “Aside from the enterprise contexts of decrease provide, challenges with dynamics of acceptance and in lots of circumstances the private context of deliberate profession breaks, do collectively play spoilsport and influence velocity of motion.”

Girls executives additionally exhibit higher organisational loyalty, with longer tenures of their present roles.

Pedigree issues

In each genders, elite academic backgrounds play a decisive position. A full 58 per cent of CXOs accomplished undergraduate research at premier establishments, and 90 per cent maintain postgraduate levels from such institutes. The figures solely go to indicate how essential pedigree stays in having access to India’s slender management pipeline.