Variety of girls on firm boards grew – little – in 2022

A survey also shows that, of the 22 positions held by female professionals, ten are linked to ESG committees.

The number of women on the boards went from 124 to 133, an increase of only 7%.

In March of last year, the World Economic Forum released a survey according to which it will take 135.6 years, or more than a century, for there to be parity between men and women in the labor market. On the boards of directors of companies, the advancement of women is slow, although they are constant.

According to the Women Corporate Directors Foundation (WCD), between 2021 and this year, the number of women on boards went from 124 to 133, up just 7%.

The number of people elected to the fiscal councils increased in the same period – from 15 in 2021 to 21 now. Advisory boards also have more women this year than last year, going from 13 to 23.

The WCD survey, released exclusively by the ESG Practice, also shows that, of the 22 positions held by female professionals on committees, ten are linked to the ESG committees, followed by the People committee.

The novelty in this instance is that the Strategy committees now have four women this year. The number of women elected as effective members on boards of directors remained practically the same as last year, however, 22 women were re-elected and another three made their debut. The survey was carried out with 92 companies and already takes into account this year’s elections.

“These data bring a mix of frustration, on the one hand, and celebration, on the other,” says Leila Loria, co-president of the WCD. According to her, the frustration is justified by the still slow progress of professionals in key positions such as councils. “But we also celebrate the fact that this presence is happening and, moreover, hardly a woman fails to be reelected”, she says.

The executive points out some barriers that still need to be overcome in companies to expand the female presence in these bodies. “Most of these positions are filled by appointment and, normally, men are appointed, because they are still the majority”, says Leila.

A trend that, in his opinion, should change as more headhunters are asked to fill these vacancies. “Because they already have a more diversified mind, even because of the current demands that seek different profiles from those who traditionally occupy this role”, believes the executive.

She adds that, as the ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance responsibility) journey advances within companies, the trend is that more space will also be opened up for women in the top management of companies:

“When this journey began, the companies themselves realized that they needed people with a differentiated profile and that’s where women came in”.

While companies are slowly moving towards gender diversification, female executives are increasingly investing in their own training to occupy these positions. This is the case of the executive Simone Torre, who for four years commanded the operations of the Belgian Puratos in Brazil, after spending ten years working abroad in leadership positions.

When he worked at pharmaceutical company GSK, Torres commanded the company’s units in Venezuela, Mexico and Costa Rica. Last year, she completed the course at the Brazilian Institute of Corporate Governance (IBGC) and is preparing to return to the market, either in charge of a company or as a member of boards of directors.

“I think it is important to be up to date and very well prepared to be able to contribute not only my practical knowledge, but also the global trends that we learn in these courses”, says she who has also taken courses on sustainable strategy, from Harvard Business School, and circular economy, from Harvard. Cambridge University.

Source: The Globe