Women are expected to fill 25% of the seats in the boardrooms of FTSE 100 companies by October, according to recruiter Norman Broadbent.
Currently 23.7% of those on companies’ boards are female, more than double the percentage in 2011 when Lord Davies set the 25% target by 2015.
But with 32% of director appointments being female, the target is set to be met in October, Norman Broadbent said.
Although no specific target has been set for the FTSE 250, the recruiter said 25% is likely to be reached by 2017.
Krystyna Nowak, the managing director of Norman Broadbent, said: “Not only is gender diversity good for their boards, but good for their businesses and the economy as a whole. The next challenge is then to ensure that women leaders take on a greater proportion of executive roles.”
Ann Pickering, O2 HR Director and female board member, said: “While great progress has been made in getting women into the boardrooms of the FTSE, the reality is that there are thousands of women who are yet to see this progress in their place of work. If we are to achieve sustainable and long-lasting change we can’t just look at those already at the top in the UK’s biggest businesses; instead we need to focus our efforts on women at every level, in every business. Only then will we be able to truly harness the skills, leadership potential and vision of the UK’s very best employees.”
