Accra, March 8, GNA - Standard Chartered Bank hosted Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood at a forum in Accra at the weekend, to interact with staff and clients on addressing gender issues in the corporate world, as part of activities to mark the International Women's Day. The forum, which was on the theme: "Women in Leadership in Ghana", organised under the bank's Gender Diversity Agenda also saw the CJ exposing her experiences as a female leader in a predominant male profession and the impact of female leadership in transforming organisations.

Chief Justice Wood attributed her success in being the first female Chief Justice to her faith in God and passion for hard work without looking for any reward, saying, "It has always been my motto to work for God and country".

She said although she had the ambitions to rise to the highest level in the judiciary, her appointment as CJ came with a surprise because it was during the nomination process that she realized that her hard work had been noted by colleagues, who highly recommended her. The CJ stated that her experience had shown that women were more capable of taking up managerial roles and all that they needed was equal opportunities and encouragement from the male counterparts. On gender issues in the judiciary, Chief Justice Wood said the institution had been fair in female appointments and that her appointment even attested to the fact.

She hinted that there were plans in place to fast track cases that affected the interest of women and children as well as the establishment of family tribunals so that women, especially those in rural areas would be empowered to demand their fundamental human rights. The CJ challenged women to continue to work hard, upgrade their skills and live according to biblical principles as a sure way to succeed in life.

She commended Stanchart for providing an avenue through its Gender and Diversity Agenda, saying "I believe the agenda that organisations like yours are driving will help make a sustainable difference in the lives of our female workforce". Nana Araba Abban, Chairperson, Diversity and Inclusion Council of the Bank, said the International Women's Day reminded its management to create an inclusive environment for women to maximize their potential. "At Stanchart, we focus on nationality, ethnicity, disability and gender; we strive to identify the barriers in each of these and work towards being the company that breaks them. Our celebration of this Day demonstrates our commitment", she added.