Women now hold more than a fifth of all board positions in FTSE100 companies, according to the latest figures.
The annual progress report into women on boards, the third since Lord Davies’s 2011 review, found that 20.7 per cent of board positions in FTSE100 companies are held by women. This figure is up from 12.5 per cent in 2011 and 17.3 per cent in April 2013.
Lord Davies set a target in 2011 of achieving 25 per cent female representation by 2015.
As of March 2014, in the FTSE100:
- Women hold 25.5 per cent of non-executive directorships
- 6.9 per cent of executive directorships are held by women
- 28 per cent of all board appointments in 2013/14 were made to women
- Women account for 231 of the 1,117 board positions
- Only two all-male boards remain.
The report aims to identify the obstacles that women face in boardroom appointments and to recommend ways that Government and businesses can increase female representation.
Lord Davies described a “culture change” taking place in the business world:
“The rate of change that we have seen at the heart of our biggest companies over the last three years has been impressive. The voluntary approach is working and companies have got the message that better balanced boards bring real business benefits.”
Minister for Women and Equalities Maria Miller said:
“Supporting women to fulfil their full potential should be a core business issue; not just so we can reach our target of 25 per cent of female appointments to FTSE100 boards by next year (2015), but for the long term sustainability of our economy.”
