EBRD and Endeavor Romania launch second edition of Women on Boards in Romania programme

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), in partnership with Endeavor Romania, have launched the second edition of the "Women on Boards in Romania" programme, which offers customized training for women with business experience, as well as for women entrepreneurs who run small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with the aim of helping them to confidently take on roles on boards of directors, a press release from the financial institution, sent on Thursday.The studies show that firms with diverse boards are more likely to outperform their competitors and have better business results, more efficient decision-making processes and increased innovation. The EU Directive on Women on Boards stipulates that by June 2026, publicly listed companies must have 40% of non-executive directors occupied by women, or 33% female representation in total.The EBRD's Women on Boards programme in Romania is part of an effort to achieve these goals while promoting better governance standards for the local SME community.In Romania, women account for 27.2% of all seats on Boards of Directors, slightly above the current EU average.Participation in the "Women on Boards" Programme is free of charge, but pre-registration is required until September 5, 2024, on a dedicated link (https://rom3.ebrdevents.com/)."We are very proud to launch the second edition of the Women on Boards Program in Romania. Achieving gender parity on company boards will lead to improved company performance, increased innovation and, ultimately, increased company value and shareholder returns. Romania has a very strong and dynamic community of women in business, and we are very happy to support this ecosystem with relevant knowledge-sharing opportunities," said Victoria Zinchuk, EBRD Country Director for Romania, in the release.The programme consists of an online training, "Managing Dynamics in the Boardroom", on September 10, followed by a hybrid event, "Advisory Boards", in Bucharest on November 6."Entrepreneurship is always underpinned by a solid foundation of corporate governance and we are delighted to highlight Endeavor's global experience in tackling a leadership topic that encompasses so many challenges. By creating a supportive ecosystem for women to advance into leadership roles on Boards, we are addressing current gaps in representation and facilitating a future where the idea of diverse and inclusive leadership becomes the norm in all companies," said Mihnea Craciun, managing director at Endeavor Romania."Women on Boards in Romania" is funded by EBRD's Small Business Impact Fund (Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, US, Sweden, TaiwanBusiness - EBRD Technical Cooperation Fund) and supported by Banca Transilvania, Deloitte Romania, PWN Romania and Envisia.To date, the EBRD has invested 11 billion euros in 547 projects in Romania.