Progress stalls over women in boardroom

BUSINESS leaders need to be challenging their headhunters when looking for external candidates and putting pressure on their internal teams in an effort to tackle the under-representation of women on boards, according to a partner in a Big Four professional services firm.
By The Newsroom
Published 11th Apr 2013, 10:18 BST

Katherine Bullock, partner at PwC Leeds, was responding to a report published this week, which showed that progress on appointing more women on to company boards has stalled.

The annual Cranfield Female FTSE board study showed that in the six months from last March the pace of change was “extremely encouraging”, with 44 per cent of new appointments going to women, and 36 per cent in companies in the FTSE 250.

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But the levels were short-lived, dropping to 26 per cent and 29 per cent in the past six months, showing a “considerable gap” from the recommendation of having 25 per cent of women on boards by 2015, made by a Government-commissioned review.

The Cranfield International Centre for Women Leaders said there was a 33 per cent gap between the current rate and the recommended level. There are 194 female-held directorships, involving 169 women, in 93 of the FTSE 100 boardrooms, equivalent to 17.3 per cent of the total, compared with 15 per cent a year ago, said the report, leaving seven with all-male boards.

Ms Bullock said: “The fact progress is stalling raises the question of whether the net is being thrown wide enough. We have seen some new talent emerge, but it really isn’t enough. Firms should be held to account over whether they are doing everything they can to develop the female talent that they have.

“This could include providing visible, relatable and aspirational role models; greater accountability for managers to bring on female talent; and individual nurturing of female and other diverse talent.”

PwC said that in 18 months it went from an executive board with no women to one where 27 per cent was female.