International Women’s Day 2023 – embracing equity in the boardroom and senior leadership teams
This International Women’s Day, we would like to celebrate a step towards equity in the boardroom, following a recent report that women now make up 40% of boards at top UK companies for the first time.
A UK government-backed report showed that FTSE 350 companies have reached this level three years ahead of plan. Backed by the Financial Conduct Authority, an improvement to boardroom diversity is now a priority for policymakers and investors to improve both company culture and to ensure balanced decision-making.
Kemi Badenoch, business and trade secretary and women's equality minister, said, “This progress is very welcome, and I'd urge business to keep up this momentum to achieve better balance in leadership positions as well as in boardrooms.” There is certainly much more to be done, with the level of women in senior leadership roles (executive committee and direct reports) unfortunately falling short of targets.
As a Women Owned business, Suzie Walker Executive Search supports high-performing women into senior leadership positions and programmes. In fact, 61% of senior leadership candidates we have placed in the past three years were people who identify as women. We also champion the work of The Pipeline - a leading diversity organisation - by recommending high-performing candidates for their Top Flight programme, designed to prevent women in senior roles from leaving the workplace. Top Flight shines a spotlight on the very real effect of role-modelling: that women won’t stay with their organisations or strive for promotion if they don’t see other women reaching the top.
We were also delighted to see the recent launch of Chief here in the UK – the only private membership network focused on connecting and supporting women executive leaders. Their membership, commitment to DEI, thought leadership, and career support, is another exciting step towards reaching a truly equal playing field in both the boardroom and senior leadership teams.
We look forward to building on this momentum. Happy International Women’s Day from all of us here at Suzie Walker Executive Search.
#EmbraceEquity
Suzie Walker Executive Search is a firm of specialist headhunters with an expert team recruiting interim and permanent senior leaders for marketing and digital roles in consumer-facing FTSE 350 and private equity-backed companies. Find out how we can support you by connecting with a Consultant below.