FDM Group challenges the lack of women on Boards

FDM Group challenges the lack of women on Boards

According to Lord Davies’ recent controversial review entitled ‘Women on boards,’ women only made up 12.5% of the members of the corporate boards of FTSE 100 companies in 2010.

A report created by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) also revealed that women hold just 22% of senior management positions.

When taking into account the fact that Women form 51% of the UK population and 46% of the economically active workforce, these figures are even more striking.

The ILM report highlighted key reasons behind the lack of women in managerial positions and pointed to the fact that 73% of the women surveyed felt affected by the ‘glass ceiling’ effect – in other words the invisible yet unbreachable barrier many women feel is stunting their career progression.

Significantly, within his report, Lord Davies pointed to the effect this is having on organisations and stated, “companies with more women on their boards were found to outperform their rivals with a 42% higher return in sales, 66% higher return on invested capital and 53% higher return on equity”.

The UK’s largest IT graduate employer, FDM Group, couldn’t agree more.

With six women on its board of 11 members, FDM continues to outshine its competitors. As the 11th fastest growing company in Europe, FDM has enjoyed phenomenal success in recent years, with an international expansion across Europe, USA and Asia.

Chief Operating Officer at FDM Sheila Flavell said, “At FDM we are extremely proud of the strong female presence on our management board and believe that it has aided us in our continued growth and expansion. A majority of women on any management board is unusual but within the IT industry it is almost unheard of. We hope that our ongoing success will help to lead women into the industry and onto management boards in all sectors.”