Conference "Women on Boards. New Regulations for Listed Companies"

A conference entitled "Women on Boards. New Regulations for Listed Companies" was held in the Trading Room of the Warsaw Stock Exchange, concerning the implementation of the Women on Boards Directive and increasing the participation of women in the management and supervisory bodies of listed companies. The Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Warsaw was among the partners of the event.

The conference was opened by speeches from the Minister of State Assets, Wojciech Balczun, and the President of the Management Board of GPW, Tomasz Bardziłowski. In their addresses, they drew attention to the importance of new legal regulations and the diversity of perspectives in corporate governance.

Subsequently, a paper on the essence of regulatory changes related to the implementation of the Women on Boards Directive was presented by Dr hab. Anna Zbiegień-Turzańska, Professor of the University of Warsaw, Vice-Dean for Cooperation with the Socio-Economic Environment of the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Warsaw. This presentation served as an introduction to the further part of the conference, during which representatives of GPW, UKNF, the capital market, public administration, and business discussed the practical implications of the new regulations. Discussions concerned, among other things, gender equality policy, transparency of recruitment processes for the bodies of listed companies, and the method of reporting on the implementation of new obligations. Participants in the discussion included: Henryka Bochniarz (Founding President of Konfederacja Lewiatan), Dominika Niewiadomska-Siniecka (Member of the Management Board of GPW), Dr Iwona Sroka (President of the GPW Exchange Council), Ewa Sowińska (Member of the Supervisory Board of ORLEN), Aleksandra Socha (Vice-Chair of the Team for Equal Treatment, MAP), Diana Dębowczyk (Director of the Minister's Office, MAP), Magdalena Łapsa-Parczewska (Managing Director of the Capital Market Supervision Division, UKNF), Karolina Rzońca-Bajorek (Vice-President of the Management Board CFO Asseco Poland), Maja Meissner (CEO & Managing Partner, Meissner & Partners), Wojciech Kostrzewa (Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Alior Bank), Alicja Brocka-Charendarczyk (Diversity Officer, JSW S.A.), Dr Mirosław Kachniewski (President of the Management Board of SEG), Dr Joanna Róg-Dyrda (WPiA UW), as well as Monika Napierska (Deputy Director of the Department for Equal Treatment of the Government Plenipotentiary for Equality, KPRM).

The conference concluded with the announcement of the publication "GPW Women on Boards Toolkit" – a practical guide for listed companies, covering, among other things, a model gender equality policy, recommended reporting elements, and best practices regarding recruitment processes. The participation of representatives of the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Warsaw in the conference, as well as in the work on the preparation of the guide, demonstrates the Faculty's commitment to the discussion and implementation of new legal regulations concerning the functioning of listed companies, and the cooperation of the academic community with the socio-economic environment.