Directors: Equality

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy written question – answered at on 20 July 2017.

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Photo of Drew Hendry Drew Hendry Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy)

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to encourage gender-balanced representation in boards.

Photo of Margot James Margot James Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy)

The Government is committed to seeing greater diversity on FTSE boards. The Department has supported and promoted various diversity initiatives to promote gender diversity on boards and across the public sector:

  • Since 2010, the Lord Davies business –led voluntary approach which has seen the proportion of women on FTSE 350 boards increase from 9.5% in 2011 to 23.5% in July 2017;
  • The subsequent Hampton-Alexander Review and its business-led target of 33% women on FTSE 350 boards by 2020;
  • In conjunction with UK Government Investments, actively supporting the Future Boards Scheme, a business-led initiative to help talented, senior women get board-level development opportunities and gain the experience they need to successfully apply for board positions;
  • The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Margot James, setting up a Business Diversity and Inclusion Group to improve the coordination of business diversity initiatives and provide a clear and coherent message on what is expected of the business community;
  • Wanting to see greater diversity on boards across all sectors including the public and third sectors, and the Government has a further aspiration that 50% of new public appointees should be women.

All of these various initiatives will contribute to our continued efforts to ensure gender-balanced representation and that boardrooms reflect their workforces and wider society.

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