Deutsche Telekom looks to set a precedent as it introduces plans to ensure 30% of its management positions are filled by women by 2015.

Deutsche Telekom, the company behind T-Mobile, has announced plans to introduce a “women’s quota” – ensuring 30% of its management positions are filled by women by the end of 2015.

The move will make Deutsche Telekom the first Dax 30 company to introduce a women’s quota. The firm said it plans to ensure that 30% of its upper and middle management positions worldwide are filled by women and said it “expects to add value to the company in the long term with greater diversity at management level.”

“Taking on more women in management positions is not about the enforcement of misconstrued egalitarianism. It is a matter of social fairness and a categorical necessity for our success. Having a greater number of women at the top will quite simply enable us to operate better,” said Deutsche Telekom’s CEO René Obermann.

Kristina Schröder, Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, praised Deutsche Telekom’s initiative, said: “Women have long since established themselves in the working world. But when it comes to important decision-making, men still rule the roost.

“I am therefore delighted that a company like Deutsche Telekom is voluntarily setting such a fine example. A legally prescribed quote for women on supervisory boards must be the very last resort.”

The move by Deutsche Telekom comes a week after the World Economic Foundation (WEF) unveiled a report that highlighted the astonishingly low number of companies which employ women in high level positions across the world. The Corporate Gender Gap report said that firms are failing to make the most of their female talent.

Earlier this month the Upper House of India’s Parliament approved a bill to reserve a third of all seats in the national parliament and state legislatures for women, helping to overcome the continuing gender inequality in the country. Many hope the landmark decision will help improve the lives of millions of women in India.

The introduction of a ‘women’s quota’ is also reportedly being held at EU level, and some European countries are also considering legislation to follow in the footsteps of Norway. The Scandinavian country introduced a decree that requires companies to have at least 40% of boards made up of women.