Women hold 43 per cent of board positions in UK’s top companies: Report

WOMEN make up 43.4 per cent of board positions in Britain's 350 largest public companies, according to a government-backed report released on Tuesday.

The FTSE Women Leaders Review also found that women held 35.3 per cent of leadership roles in these companies, an increase from 33.5 per cent the previous year.

For FTSE 100 companies, women's representation on boards was 44.7 per cent in 2024, while in senior leadership roles, it stood at 36.6 per cent. Both figures showed progress compared to the previous year.

Despite these gains, the number of women CEOs in FTSE 350 companies declined for the second year in a row, dropping from 21 in 2022 to 19 in 2024.

Board positions include non-executive roles, which do not carry the same decision-making authority as CEO positions.

The government highlighted the positive overall trend, noting that Britain follows a voluntary, business-led approach to diversity, unlike France and Belgium, which enforce mandatory quotas for women on corporate boards.

Britain's regulations encourage publicly listed firms to have at least 40 per cent female representation.

Nearly three-quarters of FTSE 350 companies have met or exceeded this 40 per cent target, the report said.

"The UK is leading the charge for gender equality in boardrooms, but we cannot rest on our laurels," British chancellor Rachel Reeves said in a statement.

"We must break down the barriers that stop many women being represented in decision-making roles, so that top talent reaches the highest levels of leadership in businesses driving economic growth across Britain," she added.

Among the 50 largest private companies in Britain, the percentage of women on boards was lower than in public firms, at 31 per cent, the report found.

(With inputs from Reuters)