For the first time in history, the proportion of women on the
boards of Britain’s largest companies has reached 30% - an increase from just
9.5% back in 2010.
Board diversity is crucial; not just in terms of gender, but
also ethnicity, age, socioeconomic background, as well as professional
diversity, to increase the different perspectives represented on the board.
The benefits of having a diverse board are numerous.
Organisations with more diverse boards are more adaptable to change, increase
profits, can improve their reputation and brand, and can more easily keep up
with market trends.
However, with government targets and mounting public pressure
to widen gender diversity on boards, there is a worry that many big companies
are recruiting women as board members mainly to tick boxes. There is mounting
evidence that women have shorter tenures and are less likely to be promoted
into senior roles than their male counterparts – the average term for women on
boards is 3.3 years, compared to 6.6 years for men.
Luckily, there are a number of groups that address these
issues, connecting women with board vacancies that tie in with their expertise,
and promoting the benefits of board diversity to companies. Women On Boards is an
organisation specifically set up to break down the barriers of the board room,
providing encouragement, advice and connections; they also help women to
understand their transferable skills, and point them in the direction of a
board that could be right for them.
There’s no doubt that the face of the boardroom is changing.
In ten years, female board membership has tripled. In another ten, who knows
where we could be?
Liverpool Local Enterprise Partnership
currently have several vacancies for boards across the Liverpool City Region.
For more information visit: https://www.liverpoollep.org/work-with-us/
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