Investigating Progress and Implementation of Female Leadership among FTSE 350 Companies by 2025

The concept of corporate governance has evolved to encompass various perspectives, including a re-evaluation of the board's leadership and responsibilities within companies. Alongside, the United Nations has identified 17 global issues to be addressed by 2030, with Gender Equality (SDG 5) being one of the significant concerns. Achieving "women's full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life," as stated within SDG 5, is crucial.

Progress has been made towards increasing the representation of women on the boards of FTSE 350 companies, with 40% of boards now comprising women, surpassing the 2025 target (FTSE, 2024). However, in 2022, women held only 16% of CEO positions and 19% of Board Chair positions on FTSE100 boards. The proportion of women in Senior Independent Director (SID) positions has risen from 14% in 2017 to 47% in 2023 (FTSE, 2024).

In February 2022, FTSE introduced four new recommendations to enhance female representation in senior corporate roles, including the goal of having at least one woman serving as Board Chair, Senior Independent Director, and CEO or CFO within FTSE 350 companies by 2025. These initiatives aim to combat gender biases and bolster women's acceptance for board roles. The Board Chair's position holds significant weight, overseeing board members and setting meeting agendas without voting privileges (Krause, Sademani, & Withers, 2016).

Board Chairs play a pivotal role in corporate governance, influencing how the board and the company are managed. While the Board Chair acts as a peer overseeing board committee, the CEO is perceived as the top authority accountable to the Board (Gabrielson et al., 2007; Krause and Sademani, 2013). Our study will examine the impact of women in decision-making roles such as Board Chair, CEO, or SID within FTSE 350 companies.

Research objectives:

Following the release of these recommendations by FTSE to promote gender diversity, the aim of this project will be to:

• Assess the progress and implementation of these guidelines within the UK, focusing on FTSE 350 listed companies,
• Provide suggestions on sustaining and further increasing the number of women on boards, particularly in critical leadership roles, once gender parity is achieved.

Research Questions:

• To what extent do companies in the FTSE 350 implement the guidelines and make progress in promoting female representation in senior corporate positions?
• What are the challenges encountered by FTSE 350 companies during the implementation of the required policies?
• What can be done to sustain and increase the number of women in these positions?

Methodology:

• Quantitative (secondary data) will be primarily sourced from University databases.
• Qualitative (primary data) methods will be used to gather data through online interviews.
• Basic knowledge of SPSS/STATA is required, and advanced training will be provided by the University.

How to apply

Formal applications should be submitted through the University of Bradford web site; applicants should create an account and choose 'Full-time PhD in Business and Management' as the course.

About the University of Bradford

Bradford is a research-active University supporting the highest-quality research. We excel in applying our research to benefit our stakeholders by working with employers and organisations world-wide across the private, public, voluntary and community sectors and actively encourage and support our postgraduate researchers to engage in research and business development activities.

Positive Action Statement

At the University of Bradford our vision is a world of inclusion and equality of opportunity, where people want to, and can, make a difference. We place equality and diversity, inclusion, and a commitment to social mobility at the centre of our mission and ethos. In working to make a difference we are committed to addressing systemic inequality and disadvantages experienced by Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff and students.

Under sections 158-159 of the Equality Act 2010, positive action can be taken where protected group members are under-represented. At Bradford, our data show that people from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic groups who are UK nationals are significantly under-represented at the postgraduate researcher level. 

These are lawful measures designed to address systemic and structural issues which result in the under-representation of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic students in PGR studies.