Heidrick & Struggles: Women in Leadership

Heidrick & Struggles explore industry trends and the outlook for future women leaders.  2015 has proven to be a historic year for boards in the United Kingdom. As of 2015, there are no all-male FTSE 100 boards in the UK. The transformation of boards is not due to quotas or political correctness but rather due to evidence-led approach.

Although significant progress has been made, attaining one target simply moves the focus to the next. For example, with only three female chairs of FTSE 100 companies and six female chief executive officers, women may be getting board seats but few are progressing to the decision-making roles of chair, chief executive officer, or senior independent director.

The following are some of the suggestions Heidrick & Struggles makes to develop more women leaders:

• Employers must be encouraged to ensure that they are sensitive to issues such as unconscious bias, flexible working conditions (for both men and women).
• Boards should spend more time examining and challenging the efficacy of internal talent management.
• Companies should engage with the education sector to ensure that women are properly represented in the subjects employers value.

The full report is published on Heidrick & Struggles’ website. Read the full report.