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Women ‘miserably’ under-represented in Asia-Pacific businesses, though they excel at fundraising: JPMorgan survey

  • Just 848, or 5.7 per cent, of 15,000 private businesses surveyed across multiple sectors were founded or led by women
  • Those female-led companies, however, excelled at fundraising, the study found

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Women are hugely under-represented in high-growth businesses across Asia-Pacific, according to the survey. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
Women are hugely under-represented in high-growth businesses including start-ups across Asia-Pacific, according to a survey by JPMorgan Private Bank in Asia.
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The study found that companies led by female executives outperformed when it comes to fundraising.

Just 848, or 5.7 per cent, of 15,000 private businesses surveyed in sectors such as technology, consumer and healthcare were founded, led or managed by women at the end of 2021.

This is a miserable number, the low single digit number surprises us,” said chief executive Kam Shing Kwang, who is also the vice-chairman of investment banking for Greater China.

“And it really shows that we all have an important role to play to make further progress and to get closer to gender parity,” she said in an interview.

Kam Shing Kwang, CEO of JP Morgan Private Bank Asia, described the amount of companies headed by women in the region as a ‘miserable number’. Photo: SCMP Pictures
Kam Shing Kwang, CEO of JP Morgan Private Bank Asia, described the amount of companies headed by women in the region as a ‘miserable number’. Photo: SCMP Pictures
The bank surveyed 12 Asia-Pacific markets including Australia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and South Korea for its report, titled Top 100 Women-Powered, High-Growth Businesses in Asia-Pacific, released on the International Women’s Day, March 8.
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