One must look no further than the UK’s FTSE 100 list of chief executives to see how hard it is for women to reach the top, as an overwhelming 91 per cent of positions are held by men. However, even for those who do break through the glass ceiling, research shows that the experience isn’t all that it seems.

The challenges facing women in the most senior roles were reflected in a new report from recruiter Russell Reynolds, which found that women accounted for a record tenth of all global chief executive departures last year.

Dame Inga Beale, the former chief executive of Lloyd’s of London and the first woman to ever lead the insurance giant, says female execs still face huge challenges even once they reach the top.Credit: Julian Andrews

According to financier Baroness Helena Morrissey, former chief executive of Newton Investment Management and mother of nine, female chiefs fall victim to “tall poppy syndrome” in the UK.

“Often the women that take on these roles are very high profile, and then we have this tendency in this country to cut people down,” she says.

Growing concern over a lack of equality comes after a year of high-profile female exits.

This includes Dame Sharon White, who announced plans in October to step down as chair of John Lewis, and Sarah Bentley, who resigned from Thames Water amid fierce scrutiny of the supplier’s performance.

Morrissey says there is no doubt that the women in question “all suddenly came under a lot of public pressure”.

Dame Inga Beale, the former chief executive of Lloyd’s of London and the first woman to ever lead the insurance giant, says female execs still face huge challenges even once they reach the top.

QOSHE - Why high-flying women spend less time at the top than men - Eir Nolsoe
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Why high-flying women spend less time at the top than men

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27.01.2024

One must look no further than the UK’s FTSE 100 list of chief executives to see how hard it is for women to reach the top, as an overwhelming 91 per cent of positions are held by men. However, even for those who do break through the glass ceiling, research shows that the experience isn’t all that it seems.

The challenges facing women in the most senior roles were reflected in a new report from recruiter Russell Reynolds,........

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