Miranda Pode Ezi 01
Top Stories

EXECUTIVE ROLES KEY CHALLENGE GLOBALLY FOR WOMEN ON BOARDS – FS & BANKING FALLING BACK RELATIVE TO OTHER SECTORS

Published by Gbaf News

Posted on October 10, 2014

2 min read

· Last updated: October 10, 2014

Add as preferred source on Google

UK Among Top Countries for Women on Boards

The UK is now one of the top five countries globally with the highest proportion of women on the boards of leading companies, according to the Egon Zehnder 2014 European Board Diversity Analysis.

Banking Sector Lags in Gender Diversity

The study also shows that banking is falling behind on gender diversity relative to other sectors.

Global Study Expands Board Diversity Analysis

This year the global executive search and leadership advisory firm has extended its bi-annual study to include over 500 companies from the US, Asia and rest of the world, giving a total of almost 1000 companies in over 40 countries. Europe is making great progress on diversity- though numbers of female executives on boards in UK and elsewhere remain stubbornly low. The study looks at all aspects of board diversity and is unusual in showing 10 year trends, and giving international/ country and sector rankings and comparisons.

Miranda Pode, head of Egon Zehnder in the UK said:

Miranda Pode

Miranda Pode

Miranda Pode

Financial Services' Impact on Gender Balance

“Banking and financial services plays a disproportionately large role in gender diversity because so many board roles in larger companies fall in this sector. Unfortunately the banks are slipping behind other sectors on overall progress, driven by non-executive roles for women, but we are seeing real uptake in work to support more rising female executives.”

Further detail and full study findings – breakdown of country/ region/ sector etc pls see Appendix attached and on website: http://www.egonzehnder.com/EBDA-2014-map

Key Takeaways

  • The UK ranks among the top five countries globally for women on corporate boards, per Egon Zehnder’s 2014 analysis.
  • Banking and financial services lag other sectors in gender diversity, particularly in non‑executive roles.
  • The 2014 study expanded to nearly 1,000 companies across 40+ countries, offering sector and regional comparisons.
  • Despite improvements in board gender diversity, female executive directors remain rare globally.

References

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country ranks among the top five for women on corporate boards?
The UK ranks among the top five globally for the proportion of women on the boards of leading companies. ([globalbankingandfinance.com](https://www.globalbankingandfinance.com/executive-roles-key-challenge-globally-for-women-on-boards-fs-banking-falling-back-relative-to-other-sectors/?utm_source=openai))
How extensive was the 2014 study?
The study covered nearly 1,000 companies across over 40 countries, including more than 500 beyond Europe. ([globalbankingandfinance.com](https://www.globalbankingandfinance.com/executive-roles-key-challenge-globally-for-women-on-boards-fs-banking-falling-back-relative-to-other-sectors/?utm_source=openai))
How does banking compare to other sectors in board gender diversity?
Banking and financial services are falling behind other sectors in gender diversity, driven particularly by low representation in non‑executive roles. ([globalbankingandfinance.com](https://www.globalbankingandfinance.com/executive-roles-key-challenge-globally-for-women-on-boards-fs-banking-falling-back-relative-to-other-sectors/?utm_source=openai))
Are female executive directors common?
No; while overall board diversity has improved, female executive directors remain uncommon globally. ([studylib.net](https://studylib.net/doc/8251375/2014-egon-zehnder-european-board-diversity-analysis?utm_source=openai))

Tags

Related Articles

More from Top Stories

Explore more articles in the Top Stories category