Women have overtaken men to form the majority of non-executive members on the boards of the top 150 FTSE companies, according to a survey.
Some 51% of non-executive directors are now women, and women make up 36% of all directors, up from 24% in 2016, according to the latest UK Spencer Stuart Board Index, which analyses the board governance practices of the top 150 FTSE companies.
But at the executive level, only 14% of directors are women, with no increase on the previous year. There are 12 female chief executives (CEOs) at the top 150 FTSE companies, equivalent to 8%, only five more than a decade ago, and 22 female chief financial officers (CFOs), the survey showed.
Men hold all four positions of chair, senior independent director (SID), CEO and CFO in 64 of the top 150 companies. There are just 14 female chairs, although this is an increase over six in 2020.
Meanwhile, the percentage of women SIDS has fallen to 26% in 2021 from 34% in 2020.
Despite the Hampton-Alexander Review’s target of 33% women on executive committees (ExCos) by 2020, only a quarter of companies have met this goal. ExCos remain predominantly male, with only 24% women in 2021.