Latest data shows that there are just 18 women leading Britain's biggest 350 firms despite massive progress over the last decade.
New figures reveal that nearly 40% of UK FTSE 100 board positions are now held by women, compared with 12.5% just 10 years ago.
The data has been published in a new report by the government-backed FTSE Women Leaders Review, which monitors women’s representation in 24,000 positions on FTSE 350 Boards and in leadership teams of the UK’s biggest companies, building on the success of the previous Hampton-Alexander and Davies Reviews.
But with just 18 female Chief Executives of the FTSE 350, gender balance at the very top of business remains exceedingly one sided. Of those, eight women lead firms the FTSE 100.
And just four firms in the FTSE 350 have women in the post of Chief Executive and Chairman– insurers Admiral Group and Direct Line Insurance Group, as well as water firms Pennon Group and Severn Trent.
The numbers got worse in March when the telecoms company TalkTalk bowed out of public ownership meaning the FTSE350 lost one more female boss in its CEO Tristia Harrison.
However, the FTSE 350 is set to gain with some key appointments in the pipeline. Greggs will have a female boss when current Chief Executive Roger Whiteside retires.
Roisin Currie, currently retail and property director, will take up the role from the date of the company’s Annual General Meeting in May 2022.
At Taylor Wimpey, current group operations director Jennie Daly will replace Pete Redfern as CEO when he steps down in April after more than 14 years in the role.
And the Pets at Home Group has named a top boss at Sky as its new chief executive.
Lyssa McGowan will join the Cheshire-headquartered retailer from June 1, succeeding Peter Pritchard, who announced his intention last November to step down from his role in summer 2022.
The data also reveals that there are 49 women Chief Financial Officers and 48 Chair roles held by women, up from 39 in 2020.
The data used to to compile this article has been prepared by Boardex and is correct as of January 2022.
We are running a series of articles to mark International Women's Day on March 8 including our Top 22 for 2022 Women Leaders and rising stars. Follow us on social media, sign up to our newsletters or become part of our online community and join in the comments section.
These are the women leading the way in the FTSE 350
Jette Nygaard-Anderson - Entain Plc (FTSE 100)
Employees: 23,573
Jette Nygaard-Andersen, 53, joined the FTSE ranks after being named group CEO of the gambling company behind Ladbrokes and Sportingbet in January 2021.
She succeeds Shay Segev who left to join sports streaming platform DAZN . Nygaard-Andersen has served as a non-executive director of Entain since 2019 and has guided the FTSE100 firm on its recent group transformation and development of its new corporate charter.
Nygaard-Andersen, a Danish national, previously chaired Danish e-sports team owner Astralis, and had senior executive roles at Modern Times Group, a Swedish media firm that also has e-sports interests.
In January, Entain announced the launch of a £40m global innovation hub in London as it looks to accelerate its expansion into entertainment.
Milena Mondini de Focatiis- Admiral Group (FTSE 100)
Employees: 10,837
Italian-national Mondini de Focatiis became the insurance firm’s first female chief executive when she was appointed in March 2020.
Previously head of UK and European insurance, she fully took over from David Stevens when he stood down in December for a part-time consultancy role.
In November, the firm reported record half year profits and revenues driven by growth in the UK with customers growing to reach 6.22 million and the impact of Covid reducing claims.
The Cardiff-based firm is the only company in the FTSE 100 to have its headquarters in Wales.
She has worked for Admiral since 2007 and was previously CEO of Admiral's Italian insurance business ConTe.it.
She has an MBA from INSEAD, and prior to Admiral, she worked as a consultant for Bain&Co.
Admiral also has a female chairman, Annette Court who joined in 2017.
Dame Emma Walmsley - GlaxoSmithKline (FTSE 100)
Employees: 94,066
Dame Emma, 53, became Chief Executive of the FTSE 100 firm in April 2017, joining from her role as CEO of GSK Consumer Healthcare, a Joint Venture between GSK and Novartis.
She joined GSK in 2010, after working for L’Oreal for 17 years where she held a variety of marketing and general management roles in Paris, London and New York. From 2007 she was based in Shanghai as General Manager, Consumer Products for L’Oreal China.
Dame Emma joined the Microsoft board as an independent director in December 2019. She was a Non-Executive Director of Diageo plc from January to September 2016.
She was appointed Dame (DBE) in 2020 for services to the pharmaceutical industry and business.
Alison Rose - NatWest (FTSE 100)
Employees: 59,882
Rose, 52, was named Chief Executive of FTSE 100 NatWest Group plc in November 2019 having joined the bank as a graduate in 1992. The first woman to lead one of the UK’s big four banks, she has previously been shortlisted for the 'most influential woman in investment banking' award by Financial News, included in the Women in FinTech Powerlist and named in Vogue’s Top 25 Most Influential Women.
Her diverse career at NatWest has included a number of senior leadership roles, including Deputy CEO NatWest Holdings, Chief Executive of Commercial & Private Banking, Head of Europe, Middle East and Africa, Markets & International Banking and Global Head of International Banking Capital and Balance Sheet.
She was commissioned by the UK government to report on the barriers to women starting businesses. She now sits on the Rose Review Board and is responsible for driving forward its recommendations.
Rose sits on the Board of Directors for the Institute of International Finance and is a member of the International Business Council for the World Economic Forum. A Trustee of Business in the Community (BITC) and Chair of the Scottish BITC Advisory Board, she is also a Non-Executive Director of Great Portland Estates plc and sits on the board of the Coutts Charitable Foundation.
Susan Davy - Pennon Group (FTSE 100)
Employees: 1,988
Davy, 53, was appointed Chief Executive of the FTSE100 firm in July 2020, succeeding Chris Loughlin. Previously Pennon’s Chief Financial Officer for five years, she joined the Group as Finance Director of South West Water in 2007.
Her knowledge of the industry, coupled with her financial and regulatory expertise is credited with underpinning the development of Pennon’s strategy which has included the acquisition of Bournemouth Water in 2015 and the disposal of Viridor.
A consultation by The Competition and Markets Authority is currently underway on Pennon's £425m takeover of Bristol Water.
Davy had 25 years experience in the utility sector prior to joining Pennon, holding a number of senior roles in the water sector, including at Yorkshire Water.
She is also a former Chair of the CBI South West and continues to be a Non-Executive Director and Audit Chairman of Restore Plc.
Pennon also has a female Chairman, Gill Rider, former head of the Civil Service Capability Group in the Cabinet Office.
Liv Garfield CBE - Severn Trent (FTSE 100)
Employees: 7,087
Garfield, 46, was appointed in April 2014 at Severn Trent Water after serving as Chief Executive of Openreach, part of the BT Group, where she spearheaded and oversaw the commercial roll-out of fibre broadband to two-thirds of the country.
She joined BT in 2002 and held the pivotal roles of Group Director of Strategy and Regulation, Managing Director Commercial and Brands, Global Services and UK Customer Services Director. From 1998 to 2002, she worked for Accenture as a consultant in the Communications and High Tech Market Unit, designing and implementing business change solutions across a number of industry sectors.
In October 2020, Garfield was appointed CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to the water industry.
Severn Trent appointed female chairman Christine Hodgson in April 2020. Hodgon is a former CFO for Capgemini UK plc and for the Global Outsourcing business, CEO of Technology Services North West Europe and the Global Head of Corporate Social Responsibility.
Alison Brittain CBE - Whitbread (FTSE 100)
Employees: 32,503
Brittain, 57 joined Whitbread, the FTSE 100 firm behind Premier Inn, Costa Coffee and Whitbread Inns, in December 2015 from Lloyds Banking Group, where she was Group Director of their Retail Division, with responsibility for the Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland retail branch networks, business banking and wealth businesses.
Prior to joining Lloyds Bank,she was Executive Director for Retail Distribution and Board Director at Santander UK PLC and previously held senior roles at Barclays Bank.
Brittain was named ‘Business Woman of the Year 2017’ in the Veuve Clicquot awards and awarded a CBE in the 2019 New Years honours list.
Amanda Blanc - Aviva (FTSE 100)
Employees: 28,930
Blanc, 55, started her career as a graduate at one of Aviva’s ancestor companies, Commercial Union, working her way up the ladder across senior executive roles across the insurance industry before taking Aviva’s top job in July 2020.
Previously Group CEO at AXA UK, PPP & Ireland and CEO Europe, Middle East, Africa & Global Banking at Zurich Insurance Group, she has also held executive leadership positions at Towergate Insurance Brokers, Groupama Insurance Company and Commercial Union.
Blanc was previously a management consultant at Ernst & Young, working on transformational assignments.
In 2020, she was recognised by Forbes as one of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.
It was announced in November that Blanc is to stand down as chair of the Professional Rugby Board and the board of the Welsh Rugby Union.
Poppy Gustafsson Darktrace Plc OBE (FTSE 250)
Employees: 1600
At 40, Gustafsson is the youngest female 350 CEO on the list. She co-founded founded the Cambridge-based cyber security firm in 2013 when she was just 30 and last year saw it debut on the London Stock Exchange.
Under her leadership, the company has experienced significant growth and global expansion, with 6,500 customers and 1,700 employees worldwide.
She was named Vodafone’s Woman of the Year for Technology and Innovation in 2020, Tech Businesswoman of the Year at the UK Tech Awards 2019 and won the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Awards 2019.
Together with Darktrace CTO Jack Stockdale, Poppy was awarded an OBE for services to cyber security in 2019. She is a qualified chartered accountant, and holds a BSc in Mathematics from the University of Sheffield.
Penny James - Direct Line (FTSE 250)
Employees: 10,807
James, 52, was Chief Finance Officer until her appointment as Chief Executive in May 2019. Her previous career included roles as Group Chief Risk Officer and Executive Director at Prudential plc, where she was responsible for leading risk oversight globally. Before this, she was Director of Group Finance at Prudential.
She was appointed senior independent director at investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown Plc in June 2021 and in March 2022.will become chair of the Financial Conduct Authority's Practitioner Panel.
James was previously Group CFO at Omega Insurance Holdings Limited and CFO, UK General Insurance, at Zurich Financial Services.
She was a Non Executive Director of Admiral Group plc from 2015 to 2017.
Direct Line also has a female chair - Danuta Gray, chief executive at Telefonica O2 Ireland between 2001 and 2010. She is also executive director at Telefonica Europe.
Zillah Byng-Thorne- Future Plc (FTSE 250)
Employees: 2,527
Byng-Thorne, 47, has been at the top of Future Plc, the magazine publisher behind titles including Marie Claire and Total Guitar since August 2015 after joining from her role as Chief Finance Officer.
She is credited with turning the fortunes of the print and online portfolio around with a relentless focus on profit.
In 2020, the price comparison site Go Compare was bought by Future Plc in a £600million deal.
She is a former Chief Financial Officer for Thresher Group Ltd, Chief Executive Officer at Auto Trader Holding Ltd and held senior positions at HMV and Waterstones.
Byng-Thorne is also senior independent director of THG.
Flutter Entertainment (created after the merger of Paddy Power and Betfair) announced that Byng-Thorne is to step down as a non executive Director before the 2023 AGM.
Byng-Thorne is also a qualified accountant and corporate treasurer, and has an MSc in behavioural change and an MA in Management.
Helen Gordon - Grainger Plc (FTSE 250)
Employees: 294
Gordon, 63, was appointed Chief Executive of the FTSE 250 private rental homes provider in January 2016, joining from RBS where she spent five years as Global Head of Real Estate Asset Management.
In February, the Newcastle-based homes rental company hailed a strong start to year with a 97% occupancy rate across its PRS portfolio and a £1.9bn pipeline of developments.
A former Director of Legal and General Property, she has been Group Property Director of Railtrack and Managing Director of John Laing Developments.
Gordon has held a number of non-exec positions and Government appointments including President of the British Property Federation, the Board of Covent Garden Market Authority, Board of British Waterways and was a Trustee for The College of Estate Management for nine years.
She is an Honorary Fellow of University College of Estate Management and a chartered surveyor.
Linda Cook - Harbour Energy Plc (FTSE 250)
Employees: 764
Cook, 64, was named Chief Executive Officer of the largest UK listed independent oil and gas company on 1 April 2021.
The company is currently leading on the V Net Zero transportation and storage system for captured carbon from the South Humber Bank refining cluster.
Prior to this, she was Chairman of the Board of Chrysaor Holdings Ltd, and a member of the Investment and Executive Committee of EIG Global Energy Partners (EIG), positions she held since 2014.
She retired from Royal Dutch Shell plc in 2010, at which time she was a member of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. During her 29 years with Shell, she held positions including CEO of Shell Gas and Power (London); CEO of Shell Canada Limited (Calgary); Executive Vice President Strategy and Finance for Global Exploration and Production (The Hague); and various US exploration and production management, operational and engineering roles.
She remains an advisor to EIG and is currently a Trustee for the University of Kansas Endowment Association, a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, and a Non-Executive Director on the Board of BNY Melon.
She received a B.S. degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Kansas in 1980.
June Felix - IG Group Holdings (FTSE 250)
Employees: 2,034
Felix, 65, took the top job at the online trading broker in October 2018, having previously served as a non-executive director for three years.
She has a track record of growing and leading global financial services and tech companies, and living and working in Hong Kong, London and New York.
A former President of Verifone Europe and Russia, she has held executive management positions at Citibank, IBM Corporation and Chase Manhattan Bank.
Felix is a recipient of the Edison Award – an award honouring excellence in technological innovation and elected in the Innovators Hall of Fame for Banking Technology News.
In 2019, she was a finalist in the business category of the Asian Women of Achievement (AWA) award and iIn 2016, was recognised as the Most Influential Woman in Payments by PaymentSource and Source media.
She is a founder of the Women’s European Network and elected to the Committee of 200 – an invitation-only membership organisation of the world’s most successful female entrepreneurs and corporate leaders.
Dame Carolyn McCall- ITV (FTSE 250)
Employees: 6,273
Dame Carolyn, 60, is the first female Chief Executive of ITV, joining in January 2018. She was previously Chief Executive of easyJet for 7 years. Under her leadership easyJet achieved record passenger numbers and record profits. The airline entered the FTSE 100 in 2013. Prior to joining easyJet, Dame Carolyn was Chief Executive of Guardian Media Group plc.
In 2013, Dame Carolyn was awarded the Airline Business ‘Airline Strategy Award for Low Cost leadership’, City AM’s Personality of the Year award and the Gold Medal Award from the Chartered Management Institute for her work in management. In 2014, she was the winner of the Business Achievement Award at the British Travel Industry Hall of Fame Awards.
Awarded a Damehood in the 2016 New Year Honours list, she was also a non-executive board member of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) from 2017 to 2020.
Last year, she announced that she would retire as an independent non-executive director of Burberry on April 2 2022.
Daphne Zohar - Puretech Health (FTSE 250)
Employees: 66
The 52-year-old American entrepreneur is the co-founder of biotech firm Puretech Health, which went public in June 2015.
The business develops medicines for serious illnesses under a number of brands including Akili, Karuna and Gelesis.
Starting with nothing, Zohar said her ambition is to create a major pharmaceutical company after being inspired by her father’s background as a scientific researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital and by her mother, a nursing home administrator.
According to Wikipedia, she has been named by the MIT Technology Review TR35 as one of the top innovators in the world under the age of 35. In 2010 she was selected by industry publication BioWorld , as one of 28 leaders predicted to be the "movers and shakers" of the biotechnology industry over the next twenty years.
Rita-Rose Gagné - Hammerson (FTSE 250)
Employees: 518
Gagné, 59, was appointed Chief Executive of property company Hammerson, owner of some of the UK’s largest shopping centres including Birmingham’s Bull Ring, in November 2020.
She joined the firm from her role as president of growth markets at Ivanhoé Cambridge, a subsidiary of Canadian pensions giant Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec.
The pandemic has put pressure on the company with the ongoing shift to online shopping and many of its tenants falling into administration or unable to afford pay rent.
But she has been credited with turning around its fortunes after selling all of its retail parks in April 2021.
Before Gagné joined Ivanhoé Cambridge in 2006, she held a variety of roles from Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs and General Counsel at Société immobilière Trans-Québec (SITQ) to Executive Vice President of Global Strategy, Portfolio Management and Investment Funds at Ivanhoé Cambridge.
Gagné is also a lawyer and holds an MBA from McGill-HEC Montreal. During her career, she has worked in property markets across the world, including the UK, France and Germany, and her expertise spans across various asset classes and mixed-use assets, including residential, retail, office and logistics.
Jo Hallas - Tyman Plc (FTSE 250)
Employees: 4,131
Hallas, 52, joined Tyman on 1 March 2019 and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in April 2019.
A Chartered Engineer with an engineering degree from the University of Cambridge and an MBA from INSEAD, she has extensive international management experience focused on business transformation.
She was previously Business Group Director for Spectris plc, where she had responsibility for a portfolio of global industrial technology businesses. Prior to this, Jo led the Invensys heating controls business. Jo has also held senior commercial roles with the Bosch Group in the UK and Germany and ten years with Procter and Gamble in Germany, the USA and Asia.
Jo is a former Non-Executive Director of Norcros plc and is a Non-Executive Director of Smith & Nephew plc.
