‘The work never ends’ in the fight for boardroom equality, warns former FTSE head of women leaders | Mirror on the Internet

Almost seven in 10 of the “top jobs in British business” are held by men, and there is still a lot of work to be done to increase women’s representation on British boardrooms, warns Denise Wilson, former head of the FTSE Women Leaders Review.

Denise, who stepped down at the end of March after 13 years at the helm of the government-sponsored review, admitted that while significant progress had been made towards achieving gender parity on UK boardrooms, women still faced obstacles when it came to being appointed to the highest levels. positions. In 2011, when she first took the helm as chief executive of the then Davies Review, 9% of board positions were held by women.

Fast forward to her final report as chief executive of the review earlier this year and that number had risen to 42%. However, she emphasized that there is still a “long, long road ahead of us.” Recalling the beginnings of her career, she said: “When I looked up, all I saw was a sea of ​​older white men. There are now 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 added. “There is always more to do.” The taskforce’s latest findings show that women still make up less than a third (30%) of executive committees in FTSE 100 companies, and there are 21 women directors in the broader FTSE 350 index.

Moreover, the review found that of the 26,000 board and management positions filled last year, around 65% were filled by men. “These are the most powerful positions in British business,” she noted.

“Since six to seven out of 10 (of these) roles go to men, there is much more work to be done,” she said. Currently serving as Chair of Girlguiding’s board, Ms Wilson is keen to demonstrate how the organization can provide young girls with the confidence and essential life skills at an early stage in life, propelling them into leadership roles in their future careers.

She was a cookie and girl guide herself and found that it gave her invaluable experiences that boosted her self-confidence. She described her first camping trip as a “liberating experience”, emphasizing: “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 gain confidence in the workplace,” she decided. She took the path less traveled, becoming one of the few women to hold leadership positions in her industry, boasting stints at British Gas, BG Group and Transco after they split, and later moving to National Grid.