Women have raced into the boardroom, but now comes the hard part

Women have raced into the boardroom, but now comes the hard part. Appointing more female chief executives and chairs is a challenge that will take longer. UK ranks second only to France in female boardroom representation, and just ahead of Norway.

March 5, 2023 . 8:49 AM

1 min read

Women now hold 40% of board seats in the top 350 companies, a milestone the campaigners did not expect to reach until 2025.
True equality will mean going further, pushing for every FTSE 350 company to have at least one woman in the big four jobs of chief executive, chair, finance director or senior independent director by the end of 2025.
UK ranks second only to France in female boardroom representation, and just ahead of Norway, showing voluntary action can work.
Just 4 of the 250 biggest listed businesses had a female chief executive and chair.
Women who become company chairs disproportionately get there after being a senior independent director.