​The Lord Davies Review has resulted in a 50% increase in the number of women in non executive positions on our FTSE100 boards.  But why is this so important for individual businesses and the economy?

Having a senior management team which reflects society and a business which provides equal opportunity for every employee seems an obvious choice and something every business leader strives for.  Statistics, however, show us this is not happening, either in the FTSE 100 or in our SMEs.  The EY report “Is Gender Diversity profitable?” released last week, based on research from 91000 companies across 22 countries, again suggests that the payoffs of policies that facilitate women rising through the corporate ranks more broadly, could be significant.

Other research on US firms finds that mixed-gender boards outperform all-male boards (McKinsey 2012b) with profits up 48%, shares values up 35%.

Since the Lord Davies Review in 2011, policy makers have shown increasing interest in the representation of women not only within the FTSE 100, but also across the FTSE 250 and STEM industries (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and there has been much talk about what needs to be done to achieve parity in representation and pay.

Many successful projects are already being delivered via a multitude of platforms, by large corporates, SMEs, the third sector and charities and whilst this is welcomed, it is not coordinated and much of it is not measured.

When I meet the deliverers of these projects, what I continually find is that they are focusing on 3 key areas, which align themselves to the conclusions drawn by my recent research for the British Chambers of Commerce into Women and Work within the SME environment.

It is clear that in order for women to participate fully in the UK workforce and achieve their individual and joint ambition, we need a coordinated strategy focusing on:

• Reducing the cost of childcare in the UK and increasing the availability of quality childcare outside the hours of 8 – 6 and in school holidays.
• Embedding agile working practice into the DNA of all our working environments
• Ensuring that our young leave education work ready and fully informed about the routes to success in a broad range of careers.

It is encouraging to note that politicians are realising that the acute shortage of women on FTSE 100 boards is just one symptom of a problem which starts in the classroom and continues through recruitment, retention and returnship and this needs tackling from a number of angles.

The government has recently announced that an independent review on increasing the number of women at the executive level in FTSE 350 companies will be led by Sir Philip Hampton, Chair of GlaxoSmithKline, with Dame Helen Alexander, Chair of UBM as his deputy chair.

This review aims to answer the question “Why are there so few women at the top?”

Committee Chair Maria Miller said
“Women have been gaining the best degrees at University for two decades and they make up half the graduate intake in many major companies, yet only a handful achieve executive level positions and females represent only 23% of senior management. It is concerning that business is not responding to the changing shape of the UK labour market at a time when we have more women in work than ever before.

The select committee will ask six key questions:

• What definition should be used by business and Government to monitor               female participation in the executive layer?
• What is the current situation of women in senior roles/executive positions
• What are the barriers to women achieving senior positions
• What measures can companies take to increase the number of women in             executive positions
• What should the Government be doing to improve the situation
• Should quotas be introduced.

Whilst many organisations supporting women into leadership positions might say they already know the answers to these questions, the fact that the government has asked a select committee to gather evidence and listen to oral submissions from stakeholders, is welcomed and I am working with the British Chambers of Commerce to enter a fully informed submission to the committee. This follows my oral submission last week to the Women in Work all party political group led by Flick Drummond MP.

If you are involved in the delivery of a programme which supports women’s progress in the workplace and you would like to comment, or you are an individual with evidence which you feel is relevant, please do email me on [email protected] before the 15th March 2016.
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I will be hosting an interactive discussion entitled 'Why Equality is the hottest topic at the board table' on the 23.3 at Eaves Hall as part of their Business Expo, book here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/eaves-hall-business-expo-tickets-21553195187

Is a promotion or growing your business one of your New Year Resolutions?

If so, you cannot miss our Women on the Ladder day.  

Join us on the 18th March 2016, for a rewarding development day and find out why Role Chartered Management training is different and so effective.
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Click the link for more details:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/women-on-the-ladder-tickets-19657400815

​Can you spare a few hours to inspire a young future female leader?
 
I am looking for 100 incredible women to join me at Preston’s College or Burnley College on the 8th March to take part in a very different kind of International Women’s Day event.

We want 100 senior women in Lancashire to help us inspire 100 female students, who may not be destined for Oxbridge, but who have been identified by their tutors as having a real ‘spark’.  We want to show them that there are fabulous career opportunities in Lancashire and tell them what we do and why we love living and working in this fabulous county of ours.
 
If you can spare a few hours to tell a student about your role, take part in some lively debate and pass on some of your valuable experience to the next generation, please book using the links below or hit reply and we will reserve you a place.

The Preston event will take place from 9:00am – 2:00pm on the 8th March
The Burnley College event will take place from 4:00pm – 7.30pm on the 8th March

Please also forward this to any other women whom you feel may be interested.

​A new guide launched today will help parents support their daughters as they make important decisions about their next steps. 

Your Daughter’s Future was developed with the help of girls aged 12 – 16 who have a wide range of career goals, from politics to sport and midwifery. It sets out what support they want from their parents as they weigh up exam and careers options.

According to the Women’s Business Council, women remain much more likely to work in sectors traditionally regarded as female. 23.1% of women work in public administration, health or education, compared with 8.6% of men. In contrast, only 0.9% of women work in construction, (6.1% of men) and only 2.6% of women work in manufacturing (7.1% of men). This contributes to the gender pay gap.

Too often it is because young women lack advice and support to get into these careers and have too few female role models in these sectors to help challenge stereotypes. The girls involved in developing the guide were clear that they wanted support from parents, so long as their own views were heard and respected too. Parents also said they wanted to help, but did not always feel able to.

This guide was developed by the PSHE Association in conjunction with girls, parents and teachers from five schools, as well as Girl Guiding UK, Stylist magazine, the National Careers Council, and the Education and Employers Taskforce.

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