Skip to main content
The Actuary: The magazine of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries - return to the homepage Logo of The Actuary website
  • Search
  • Visit The Actuary Magazine on Facebook
  • Visit The Actuary Magazine on LinkedIn
  • Visit @TheActuaryMag on Twitter
Visit the website of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries Logo of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries

Main navigation

  • News
  • Features
    • General Features
    • Interviews
    • Students
    • Opinion
  • Topics
  • Knowledge
    • Business Skills
    • Careers
    • Events
    • Predictions by The Actuary
    • Whitepapers
    • Moody's - Climate Risk Insurers series
    • Webinars
    • Podcasts
  • Jobs
  • IFoA
    • CEO Comment
    • IFoA News
    • People & Social News
    • President Comment
  • Archive
Quick links:
  • Home
  • The Actuary Issues
  • June 2018
06

FTSE 350 lagging behind 2020 targets for women on boards

Open-access content Wednesday 27th June 2018 — updated 5.50pm, Wednesday 29th April 2020

FTSE 350 companies will need to give around 40% of all new leadership roles to women over the next two years if they are to meet targets for female representation on boards by 2020.

2


That is according to a government-backed review, which has challenged the UK's largest firms to have a third of all board positions held by women by the end of the decade.

The review is today at its halfway point after being launched in 2016, but has found that female representation on boards still lags at just 25.5% for FTSE 350 firms, with 10 companies only having men in top positions.

This comes after research found that increasing gender equality could add £150bn to UK GDP in 2025 through enhanced productivity and business reputation.

"For FTSE 350 to fall short of this target is just not good enough," said CMI Women chair, Heather Melville OBE. "Why is it that in 2018 achieving gender diversity in leadership teams is not a business priority?

"Employers lagging behind risk being outperformed by 21% compared to their competitors with diverse leadership teams. FTSE 350 companies should treat this as any other business initiative."

Despite the UK's 350 biggest firms lagging behind, the review found that women now hold 29% of all FTSE 100 board and senior leadership positions - up from just 12.5% back in 2011.

Today's statistics show that if progress matches the same gains made over the last three years, then FTSE 100 companies are on track to meet the 2020 goal.

Firms failing to make enough progress are now being urged to emulate the success of more than 80 companies that have already achieved or beaten the target, including Whitbread, Diageo, and Next.

"While it is great to see there are more women at the top of Britain's largest businesses than ever before, it is clear there is still a long way to go," business secretary Andrew Griffiths, said

"The review is highlighting the benefits of everyone having an equal opportunity to reach the top, and I urge businesses to keep stepping up and championing diversity."


Sign up to our free newsletter here and receive a weekly roundup of news concerning the actuarial profession

This article appeared in our June 2018 issue of The Actuary.
Click here to view this issue
Filed in
06

You might also like...

Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linked in
  • Mail
  • Print

Latest Jobs

Deputy Head of Capital Modelling

London (Central)
£110000 - £130000 per annum
Reference
144789

Head of Analytics (Actuarial)

London (Central)
£130000 - £165000 per annum
Reference
144788

Pensions Actuarial Analyst - GMP Equalisation

London (Central)
£ dependent upon experience
Reference
143745
See all jobs »
 
 

Today's top reads

 
 

Sign up to our newsletter

News, jobs and updates

Sign up

Subscribe to The Actuary

Receive the print edition straight to your door

Subscribe
Spread-iPad-slantB-june.png

Topics

  • Data Science
  • Investment
  • Risk & ERM
  • Pensions
  • Environment
  • Soft skills
  • General Insurance
  • Regulation Standards
  • Health care
  • Technology
  • Reinsurance
  • Global
  • Life insurance
​
FOLLOW US
The Actuary on LinkedIn
@TheActuaryMag on Twitter
Facebook: The Actuary Magazine
CONTACT US
The Actuary
Tel: (+44) 020 7880 6200
​

IFoA

About IFoA
Become an actuary
IFoA Events
About membership

Information

Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Policy
Think Green

Get in touch

Contact us
Advertise with us
Subscribe to The Actuary Magazine
Contribute

The Actuary Jobs

Actuarial job search
Pensions jobs
General insurance jobs
Solvency II jobs

© 2023 The Actuary. The Actuary is published on behalf of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries by Redactive Publishing Limited. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part is not allowed without written permission.

Redactive Media Group Ltd, 71-75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ