Why are there so few female executives on retail Boards?

 BOARD COMPOSITION – WHAT WORKS 

Fidelio’s focus is building effective Boards, and we have been accredited for eight consecutive years by the FTSE Women Leaders Review for our contribution to gender balance in UK Boardrooms. 

In this week’s Overture, Fidelio’s Advisory Partner, Simon Irwin takes a deep dive looking at the retail sector in particular. With women making up the majority of customers and staff, the retail sector should represent a great opportunity for gender balance on the Board. 

However, in this analysis of women on the Boards and senior management teams of the UK's leading retailers, we have found surprisingly low participation of senior women executives, with just two female CEOs in the 18 largest listed retailers. This is a notable departure from the position a decade ago, when retail... To read Fidelio's full Overture, please click here.