Many UK companies recognise that disregarding 50% of the talent pool will not produce the best boards.
Roger Carr, chairman of UK’s Centrica plc explains why: “In my experience women add considerable value to the boardroom discussion. They help generate a more team orientated and thoughtful atmosphere that produces better board work. For that simple reason I want both genders represented on any board I chair.”
This view is shared by Sir Rob Margetts, chair of Legal & General plc: “We must all take responsibility for the development, progression and appointment of able female candidates to ensure that our Boards, now and into the future, are advantaged by wider perspectives and approaches.”
The UK is currently in the forefront when it comes to focusing on the lack of women on corporate boards. The 2008 annual Cranfield Report on Women in FTSE100 companies showed that of the 149 new appointees to the FTSE100, only 16 were women. Twenty-two of the companies still have male-only boards.
Following Norway, the Spanish Government recently decided to set a target of 40% women on corporate boards by 2015. In France there is now concern about the lack of women in French boardrooms and the French Employers’ Association is considering issuing guidelines stipulating that boards should have at least 20% women in a couple of years. In other European countries the issue is also receiving a lot of attention.
We recommend the following websites:
The American research institution Catalyst focus on gender and diversity
www.catalyst.org
Leadership programme promoting gender diversity at board level