Women on Boards

Research shows that companies with more women on their boards outperform their rivals with a 84% higher return on sales, 60% higher return on invested capital and 46% higher return on equity.

The UK needs more women on its boards of directors; and if quotas are to be avoided, it needs them fast. In order to increase the percentage of women on their boards towards the 25% target, the Government recommendations to companies can be summarised as follows:
- Increase the pool of female candidates for directorship positions, including from outside the corporate world;
- Publicise their targets for increasing the percentage of women on the board and in senior positions, and the strategies they will adopt to achieve them.

Needless to say, for companies to achieve the required increase, enough quality female candidates must be found. Are you a potential candidate, or are there potential candidates amongst your circle? What positions are out there, and what are the requirements and qualifications for a board position? What, in practical terms, will sitting on the board involve? We have regular “Board-Ready” sessions that will help answer all your questions in a friendly, constructive atmosphere.

Get in touch with either Rose (rose@multitalentnetwork.co.uk / +44 (0)7594 873 859) or Amanda (amanda@multitalentnetwork.co.uk / +44 (0)7747 608 318) and see what is out there.

Why the urgency about WOB?

Lord Mervyn Davies’s report in February 2011 (http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/business-law/docs/w/11-745-women-on-boards.pdf) set the parameters for the debate in the UK. It also summarised the research, which makes abundantly clear that this is an issue about maximising the profits of UK companies, not an equality/diversity “nice to have” add-on. Companies with women on the board of directors are more profitable.

The tenor of the report, and subsequent progress reports, is that if quotas are to be avoided UK Plc must voluntarily strive for and achieve 20-30% female board membership.

In March 2012, the European Commission launched a public consultation on measures to redress the gender imbalance at board level, including passing EU legislation to impose quotas. A legal requirement for corporate boards to operate with a specified percentage of women members (typically 20-30%) is already in place in France, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. David Cameron has indicated that, whilst he is opposed to imposing quotas, he accepts that they may become necessary if women do not become better represented on the UK’s boards of directors.

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Women on Boards Research shows that companies with more women on their boards outperform their rivals with a 84% higher return on sales, 60% higher return on invested capital and 46% higher return on equity. The UK needs more women on its boards of directors; and if quotas are to be avoided, it needs them fast. In order to increase the percentage of women on their boards towards the 25% target, the Government recommendations to companies can be summarised as follows: - Increase the pool of female candidates for directorship positions, including from outside the corporate world; - Publicise their targets for increasing the percentage of women on the board and in senior positions, and the strategies they will adopt to achieve them. Needless to say, for companies to achieve the required increase, enough quality female candidates must be found. Are you a potential candidate, or are there potential candidates amongst your circle? What positions are out there, and what are the requirements and qualifications for a board position? What, in practical terms, will sitting on the board involve? We have regular “Board-Ready” sessions that will help answer all your questions in a friendly, constructive atmosphere. Get in touch with either Rose (rose@multitalentnetwork.co.uk / +44 (0)7594 873 859) or Amanda (amanda@multitalentnetwork.co.uk / +44 (0)7747 608 318) and see what is out there. Why the urgency about WOB? Lord Mervyn Davies’s report in February 2011 (http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/business-law/docs/w/11-745-women-on-boards.pdf) set the parameters for the debate in the UK. It also summarised the research, which makes abundantly clear that this is an issue about maximising the profits of UK companies, not an equality/diversity “nice to have” add-on. Companies with women on the board of directors are more profitable. The tenor of the report, and subsequent progress reports, is that if quotas are to be avoided UK Plc must voluntarily strive for and achieve 20-30% female board membership. In March 2012, the European Commission launched a public consultation on measures to redress the gender imbalance at board level, including passing EU legislation to impose quotas. A legal requirement for corporate boards to operate with a specified percentage of women members (typically 20-30%) is already in place in France, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. David Cameron has indicated that, whilst he is opposed to imposing quotas, he accepts that they may become necessary if women do not become better represented on the UK’s boards of directors.
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