Women on boards
As previously mentioned, 36.2% or 68 of the FTSE 100 index companies have now met or exceeded the 33% target, up from 32.4% in 2019. This encompasses 374 women on FTSE 100 boards out of a total of 1,032 directorships, with 34 women in either the chair and senior independent director role.
The review noted companies such as St James’s Place, Tio Tinto and Smiths Group “substantially” increased the representation of women on boards in the final year, while M&G was also included in the top ten companies that had 50% gender balance on the board.
“The key drivers of progress are the turnover rate and the appointment rate of women, both of which have increased by around 4% this year and are at the highest yet,” the review said. “In particular, the appointment rate of 39% is helping fuel faster progress. The number of women in chair and senior independent director roles continues to increase, with three more women to take up chair roles in the coming months. Women in the CEO role remains stubbornly, and disappointingly low.”