How the U.K.'s approach to women on boards is improving gender diversity
All Things Sustainable7 Mar 2022

How the U.K.'s approach to women on boards is improving gender diversity

Ahead of International Women's Day, we're looking at how the U.K. is moving the needle on gender diversity in corporate boardrooms. Many countries have mandatory quotas for the minimum number of women on corporate boards. The U.K., in contrast, adopted a voluntary approach to improve gender balance in the business world. Has it worked?

In one important sense, yes: Nearly 40% of board seats at the U.K.'s top 100 companies are now filled by women, and notable gains have also been made at the board level of the U.K.'s 350 largest companies, according to a new report. However, there are still very few women CEOs or CFOs in the U.K., and only a third of leadership roles are held by women.

In this week's episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we speak to Denise Wilson, Chief Executive of the FTSE Women Leaders Review, which published the report in February. Wilson describes how the decision to routinely and openly publish data naming and shaming companies that fall short of suggested gender-balance targets has acted as a nudge, persuading more businesses to appoint female board directors to meet growing investor and societal expectations on diversity.

To read more about gender diversity at global companies: https://www.spglobal.com/en/research-insights/featured/women-ceos-covid

To read more about gender diversity at U.S. companies: https://www.capitaliq.spglobal.com/web/client?auth=inherit#news/article?id=65743394&KeyProductLinkType=6

To read S&P Global Sustainable1 research on corporate diversity, equity and inclusion policies: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/csa/yearbook/articles/progress-toward-corporate-diversity-requires-more-than-ticked-boxes-and-token-hires

To subscribe to our new newsletter, The Social Equity & Impact Review: https://spgi-mkto.spglobal.com/Subscribe-The-Social-Equity--Impact-Review.html

We'd love to hear from you. To give us feedback on this episode or share ideas for future episodes, please contact hosts Lindsey Hall (lindsey.hall@spglobal.com) and Esther Whieldon (esther.whieldon@spglobal.com).

Photo credit: Getty Images

Episoder(335)

DC Climate Week highlights data center demands and challenges for science

DC Climate Week highlights data center demands and challenges for science

The second annual DC Climate Week took place April 20-26, and in this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast we're exploring two key themes that are front and center in Washington, DC: the prol...

1 Mai 27min

CSO Insights: California's biggest utility talks decarbonization, climate adaptation and AI energy demands

CSO Insights: California's biggest utility talks decarbonization, climate adaptation and AI energy demands

In this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast, we're talking to the Chief Sustainability Officer of one of the largest utilities in the US — Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).  PG&E i...

24 Apr 28min

What to expect from the inaugural Climate Week Zurich

What to expect from the inaugural Climate Week Zurich

Switzerland's largest city is hosting its first-ever Climate Week, and All Things Sustainable is the official podcast. In this episode, we preview what to expect from the inaugural Climate Week Zurich...

17 Apr 14min

The rise of billion-dollar US weather and climate disasters

The rise of billion-dollar US weather and climate disasters

In this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast, we're exploring how billion-dollar scale extreme weather and climate disasters in the US are growing in frequency and cost — and what that means ...

10 Apr 28min

Why 2026 will be pivotal for carbon markets

Why 2026 will be pivotal for carbon markets

In this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast we speak with Dirk Forrister, President and CEO of the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), to discuss the role of carbon markets i...

3 Apr 32min

How war in the Middle East is reshaping the energy landscape

How war in the Middle East is reshaping the energy landscape

This week's episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast brings you coverage from CERAWeek, the annual weeklong energy conference that S&P Global hosts in Houston, Texas.   Known as the "Davos of e...

27 Mar 24min

The race to unlock nuclear fusion for low-carbon energy security

The race to unlock nuclear fusion for low-carbon energy security

This episode of S&P Global's All Things Sustainable explores nuclear fusion, a technology some in the energy industry believe could become a cornerstone of secure, affordable low-carbon power.    Ou...

20 Mar 30min

Why major companies are backing product-level carbon accounting

Why major companies are backing product-level carbon accounting

In this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast, we're talking to Carbon Measures CEO Amy Brachio.   Carbon Measures is a business-led coalition launched in 2025 with a goal to establish consi...

13 Mar 33min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

stopp-verden
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
dine-penger-pengeradet
e24-podden
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
rss-pa-konto
pengesnakk
pengepodden-2
finansredaksjonen
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
liberal-halvtime
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
stormkast-med-valebrokk-stordalen
utbytte
rss-skravla-gar
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
rss-markedspuls-2
rss-sunn-okonomi
lederpodden