Number of Women on Boards in FTSE100 Almost Doubles Since 2011

Since 2011 the number of women on boards in the FTSE100 has increased from 12.5% to 23.5%, according to the latest update from Lord Davies of Abersoch.

There are currently no all-male boards in the FTSE100, but progress must continue to reach Lord Davies’ target of 25% female board representation by the end of 2015. Lord Davies was commissioned by the UK Business Secretary Vince Cable to explore gender diversity at board level in 2011. In his original report he produced 10 recommendations for change, including the creation of a Voluntary Code for executive search firms, which currently has 80 executive search firms signed up to it.

Reflecting in yesterday’s (Wednesday 25th) update on the progress that has been made, Lord Davies said of executive search firms: “We have seen many innovative programmes, initiatives, workshops and seminars coming from the Executive Search community, all of which are helping to raise awareness, extend the talent pool and bring more women to the top of British business. We are hugely grateful to the Executive Search community for their ever increasing efforts on this agenda.”

Click here to read Lord Davies’ full report.

As well as the Davies Review, Cranfield School of Management has released its review of board diversity in the UK. This report goes beyond the recommendations of the Davies Review to look at the drivers of change across the world, as well as assessing the success of different approaches across Europe.

Click here to read the full Cranfield School of Management report.