More women need to be appointed to top executive posts, campaigners urged today as the latest figures showed a rise in the number of female company directors.
Ministers hailed the increase in the overall proportion of directors on FTSE 100 companies who are women, from 17.4 per cent in May to 19 per cent.
The rise from 12.5 per cent in February 2011 means big companies are on track to meet the goal — set by women on boards czar Lord Davies of Abersoch — that a quarter of board members should be women by 2015.
But while far more women are being given posts as non-executive directors, the proportion in the most senior executive jobs is only nudging up slowly — from 5.5 per cent in February 2011, to 5.6 per cent in May this year and now 6.1 per cent. In contrast, the proportion of FTSE 100 non-executive board members who are women rose from 15.6 per cent in February 2011 to 23.8 per cent.
The figures sparked calls for more to be done to get women into executive positions. Heather Jackson, founder of the Women’s Business Forum, said: “Simply putting women on boards is a short-term, cosmetic solution.
“What we really need to be concentrating on is fixing and developing the leaking pipeline of female talent at middle management.”
Katja Hall, chief policy director of business group the CBI, said: “If we are to remove further blockages in the pipeline, business leaders must continue to improve recruitment, mentoring and succession planning.”
Business Secretary Vince Cable welcomed the figures but Lord Davies warned against “complacency”.
