A country of unicorns but not enough women CXOs to run them?

India’s tech-fuelled unicorn growth 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 girls occupy simply 10 per cent of high govt roles throughout 117 Indian-born unicorns,
Instances of India reported.

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

Advertising and marketing is barely extra various— girls 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— girls CXOs common 24 years within the workforce, barely greater than their male counterparts at 22 years.

A sluggish climb to the highest

One of many extra hanging findings of the report is the age distribution of girls in management. Amongst CXOs aged 33 to 37, solely 7 per cent are girls. This quantity climbs to 16 per cent within the 48 to 52 age group, suggesting that girls take longer to ascend to the very best ranks. The explanations are each systemic and private, in line with Siddharth Verma, head of govt 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 instances the private context of deliberate profession breaks, do collectively play spoilsport and affect 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 function. 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 point out how necessary pedigree stays in having access to India’s slim management pipeline.