‘The work never ends’ in the fight for boardroom equality: former head of FTSE review

Denise Wilson, who stepped down at the end of March after 13 years leading the government-sponsored review, said that while great progress had been made in increasing gender parity on UK boardrooms, women still faced barriers in accessing many top positions.

When she first became chief executive of the then-Davies Review in 2011, only 9% of board positions were held by women.

When she published her final report as chief executive of the review earlier this year, that figure had risen to 42%.

But she said she still had a “long, long road” ahead of her.

She told the PA news agency that at the beginning of her career “when I looked up all I saw was a sea of ​​older white men”.

“Now there are more women in management positions, but it is not enough.

“In a space of equality, the work is never done and will never be done,” she said.

“There is always more to do.”

The task force’s latest report shows that women still make up less than a third (30%) of the executive committees of FTSE 100 companies, and there are just 21 women directors in the wider FTSE 350.

The review found that of the 26,000 management and management positions made last year, about 65% were filled by men.

“These are the most important positions in British business,” she said.

“Since six to seven out of 10 (of these) roles go to men, there is much more work to be done,” she added.

In her new role as Chair of Girlguiding’s board, Ms Wilson is keen to demonstrate how the organization can give girls the confidence and life skills they need early in their careers to increase their chances of taking on leadership roles in their careers.

She was a cookie and girl guide herself and found that it provided her with invaluable experiences that also boosted her self-confidence.

She said her first camping trip was a “liberating experience” and showed that “with enough hard work, determination and the right support, I can do anything – and that girls can do anything.”

“It was a revelation for me.”

“I think that’s what helped me build my confidence in the workplace,” she said.

She was one of the first women to take up senior positions in her industry – she worked at British Gas, and after their split, at BG Group and Transco, and later at National Grid.

She led National Grid’s investor relations and global audit departments and was also director of global transformation during her tenure at the company.

She said her time at Girlguiding gave her the confidence to apply for positions that had previously only been held by men.

“It was those early experiences that gave me that confidence,” she said.

However, girls and women still face barriers as they climb the career ladder, she added, with a lack of affordable childcare among other factors holding some back.

She warned that recent high-profile sexual harassment scandals in the business sector could also threaten progress.

She said that thanks to these scandals, people previously considered “untouchable” will now be held accountable.

However, she said some companies may be concerned about hiring women.

“It would be a shame if this made too many people afraid of being alone with women or of appointing women if it introduced a certain level of nervousness,” she said.

Ms Wilson, who received an OBE for services to women and equality in 2016, said Gen Z workers in particular were pushing for change.

“They don’t want to work in a workplace where there is inequality,” she said.

However, despite these pressures, she stated that gender stereotypes are still a “big problem”.

She hopes that being part of Girlguiding can give girls the “resilience” they need to combat this in their careers, while also “having fun and being outdoors, which is key to learning and mental and physical health.”

“You have to build confidence in girls from a young age.

“They need that resilience when they come to work.”