Slow progress on women in top positions

It calls for FTSE 100 companies to set the target to accelerate the number of women reaching the top of business.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) said there had only been a 1.8 per cent increase in female executive director representation on boards since 2012.

A report by Lord Davies in 2011 called for 25 per cent of directors in FTSE 100 firms to be women by this year.

According to the Government, that target is “within sight” but the CIPD said most of the progress had come through the appointment of non-executive directors to boards.

More than a quarter of Yorkshire Water’s board is female.

Finance Director Liz Barber said: “At Yorkshire Water we recognise the strength of a diverse workforce that represents the society we serve.

“We are working hard to ensure we have a gender balancedworkplace and are actively engaged in internal and external programmes to promote diversity.

“We are proud that our board has a strong female representation and we want to continue to do more to use our influence to champion the value of gender balance.”

Karen Boswell, managing director of East Coast, the state-owned business operating rail services from Yorkshire to London, was named Woman of the Year at last year’s Women 1st Shine Awards that celebrate women’s success in industry.

She said: “Successful organisations in my experience are those who actively embrace diversity in the workplace, and encourage people with different perspectives and skills to come together to achieve successful business outcomes.

“The body of evidence emphatically demonstrates that boards with female members outperform those without.

“In customer-focused businesses particularly, I think boards should reflect the profile of the customers they serve. At the very least, they need to be able to demonstrate they understand their customers’ perspectives.

“I welcome the continued effort to accelerate and move quicker towards the targets set down by the Davies report. It simply is good business.”

According to the CIPD, more than a quarter of firms do not monitor the gender profile of their workforce, including senior positions, while half would welcome a separate target to help increase the number of women in executive director posts.

Liv Garfield, chief executive officer of Severn Trent, said: “While gender diversity in business is important, the drive to progress exists within an individual.

“For those with drive, who want to move into leadership, my advice is simple, first and foremost – you have to love being with people.

“Then, select and build a great team of positive players for your journey together.

“And finally, learn from others. Working with amazing people has allowed me to learn from their actions and advice, which will support me well into the future.”

Heather Jackson founded An Inspirational Journey and The Balanced Business Forum, Yorkshire-based initiatives to improve gender balance at the top of business.

She said: “I completely agree with CIPD that we should be supporting and guiding companies to look to gender balance in their executive rather than non-executive roles as the business case speaks for itself.

“Teams that are gender balanced and diverse out perform those that aren’t. It’s a business case rather than an equality or women’s issue per se.”

Business Minister Jo Swinson said companies should be mindful of the threat of mandatory targets being set by the European Union if progress on the issue is not made.