More women break into top boardrooms

Women have a long way to go before being properly represented in the boardroom, but research has shown progress is being made.

Last year, 27 per cent of appointments to the boards of FTSE 100 companies were women, bringing the total percentage of female directors on firms listed in the top index to 15. Research from the Professional Boards Forum found 98 females were appointed across the FTSE 100 and the next tier down, the FTSE 250, last year.

Critics say progress has still been slow, however, since Marjorie Scardino became the first woman to become a Footsie chief executive 15 years ago. There remain 10 companies in the top flight with all-male boards, mostly mining groups – Aggreko, Amec, Essar Energy, Fresnillo, Glencore, Kazakhmys, Randgold, Vedanta, Xstrata and Antofagasta.

Lord Davies, commissioned by the Government, has ordered big businesses to have women as a quarter of their directors by 2015.