Women now make up 43% of Britain’s top boardrooms

By Reuters
February 26, 2025
People cross the Millenium Bridge with skyscrapers of the City of London financial district seen behind, in London, Britain, February 6, 2025. —Reuters
People cross the Millenium Bridge with skyscrapers of the City of London financial district seen behind, in London, Britain, February 6, 2025. —Reuters

LONDON: Women make up about 43 percent of the boards of directors of Britain’s 350 biggest public companies, according to a government-backed report published on Tuesday that also said more work was needed to boost women’s representation in leadership roles.

In 2024, FTSE 350 .FTLC companies had women on 43.4 percent of company boards compared with 40.2 percent a year earlier, while women held 35.3 percent of leadership roles versus 33.5 percent in the previous year, the FTSE Women Leaders Review report said. For FTSE 100 .FTSE companies, women’s representation on boards was 44.7 percent in 2024 while in senior leadership roles it was 36.6 percent. There was progress from a year ago on both counts.

Board positions can include non-executive positions that lack decision-making functions akin to the role of a CEO. The report also showed that the number of women CEOs among FTSE 350 companies fell for the second consecutive year - from 21 in 2022 to 20 in 2023, and now to 19 in 2024.