Citation:
Ruth Sealy, Val Singh and Susan Vinnicombe. The Female FTSE Report 2007,
International Centre for Women Leaders at the Cranfield School of Management
Abstract:
In 2007, our ninth report, we see a continuing change in the balance of
directorships in the FTSE 100 corporate boards. Both the number of executive
directorships and total number of directorships are at their lowest levels for
nine years. Meantime, the number of non-executive directorships is at its
highest for nine years. Against this context we have seen several high water
marks in women’s advancement onto these boards. There is an emerging
polarisation between the cluster of 24 companies who are entirely male led and
the newly growing cluster of 35 companies with multiple women directors. There
are now 100 women occupying 123 directorships on FTSE 100 boards making up 11%
of total directorships. Women constitute 20% of all new director appointments
this year – the highest since Cranfield started monitoring the Female FTSE in
1999. Thirty women were appointed this year, of whom five had not previously
held FTSE 100 directorships. More note worthy, there are now 122 women sitting
on the FTSE 100 executive committees, an increase of 40% on 2006 and these women
occupy a great variety of ro
