Professor Rehana Cassim is a professor in the mercantile law department in the College of Law at Unisa. She is an award-winning NRF-rated researcher and an admitted attorney and notary public, having practised at Bowmans and Rooth Wessels, where she specialised in company law.
Her research focuses on company law and corporate governance, with a particular emphasis on delinquent directors, director removal, the misconduct and accountability of miscreant directors, and whistle-blowing.
She is the editor-in-chief of the Comparative and International Law Journal of South Africa.
Cassim says: “Appointing women from marginalised groups to boards of directors promotes equity and brings valuable perspectives to boards that can strengthen the quality of board decisions and the strategic direction adopted by boards.
“At the outset, companies should adopt and enforce board diversity policies with explicit targets for women from marginalised groups. To ensure transparency, companies should be required to disclose the number of women from marginalised groups serving on their boards, together with their retention rates.
“To widen the pool of potential candidates and identify suitable candidates, companies should collaborate with community organisations, trade unions, and disability rights groups.
“Women with disabilities must be fully accommodated, for example, by being given the option to attend and participate in board meetings remotely or being assisted to attend board meetings physically. “To support women whose first language is not English, board materials should be translated by companies into one or more of South Africa’s official languages.
“Low-income board members should receive travel support where necessary. “In addition, to ensure their success and re-appointment on the board, companies should provide board members from marginalised groups with relevant training, and mentorship by experienced board members.”
