Anne Ruth Herkes previously served as state secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, where she oversaw Germany’s global trade interests and led EU and WTO trade negotiations. She has nearly 30 years’ professional experience in politics, diplomacy and economic affairs in Europe, the United States, Japan and Qatar. She previously served as ambassador to Qatar and, before that, as vice president of policy and communication on the executive board of BP Biofuels in London. She has also served on the board of directors of KfW IPEX-Bank. She currently serves as a director for Quintet Private Bank, Brookfield Business Partners LP, 1014 Inc./Space for Ideas and Asia House London.

Paperjam: What is your opinion on quotas for women on boards?

Anne Ruth Herkes: Quotas, while a somewhat heavy-handed and controversial regulatory and political instrument, have played a pivotal role in the advancement and consolidation of women in senior executive roles, including with regard to board composition. Without any quota policies, it would have taken much longer for women to hold a significant percentage of senior business leadership/board roles.

In your view, how does diversity affect a board’s performance?

Diversity often leads to a culture that supports an open-minded and productive integration of diverging viewpoints; it creates what has come to be called ‘cognitive diversity,’ a richer set of ideas, observations and insights, always to the benefit of the business.

What advice would you give to a woman hesitating to take this path?

I would strongly encourage her to embark on this career path, despite any initial hesitation. Throughout history, women have been conditioned not to show confidence in their competencies and strengths. That will continue to change as women see increasing numbers of female role models competing at the same level as men.