Insights

Globally, women hold 32.0% of senior management positions in the tech sector, below the global average of 33.5%, and below other industries such as professional services (36.2%), asset management (35.5%), and healthcare (37.7%).

This year marks a significant milestone for Grant Thornton's Women in Business report. It's been 20 years since we first started tracking the percentage of senior management positions held by women at mid-market businesses across the globe. While there has certainly been progress over the past 20 years, this progress has been far too slow. We believe the agility of the mid-market can help to set a new course and accelerate progress. Insights from our 2024 Women in Business report reveal clear strategies that create the right environment for women to thrive, significantly reducing the time it will take to reach gender parity in the workplace.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are more than just policies and marketing tools. They are quickly becoming a top priority for organisations of all types and sizes, as companies that embrace DEI outpace their competitors and perform better as a result of integrating DEI principles as part of their core DNA.

Grant Thornton’s 2020 Women in Business report outlines how the Blueprint for Action is bring used to bring more women into global business leadership.

Global business is facing a wave of disruptive influences that look set to spark the Fourth Industrial Revolution. We explore how the way professionals work is evolving, the leadership skills that will be needed within the dynamic mid-market to thrive, and how organisations can stay competitive in the war for talent and customers in 2030.

Despite a decades-long conversation, progress towards gender parity has been slow. Grant Thornton research shows that, while the global percentage of women in senior management hit 29% in 2019, in 2018 it was 24% – an identical figure to 2016, 2014 and 2007. It takes more than good intentions to create change: the business case for diversity must be convincingly argued. That case is clear: a study of 1,000 companies in 12 countries by McKinsey & Company found that organisations in the top 25% for gender diversity among executive leadership were likely to outperform on profitability (by 21%) and value creation (by 27%).

In our Grant Thornton's global Women in Business campaign, Kamonwan Wipulakorn CEO of One Origin, a subsidiary of one of Thailand’s largest real estate developers Origin Property Pcl, explains Thailand’s progressive workplace culture.

Welcome to our Champions for action homepage as part of our 2019 Women in business campaign. Our champions for action are global business figures leading the charge for gender diversity. Each Champion has shared a variety of challenges, success stories, advice and practical solutions for addressing gender parity at the senior management level.

Our 2019 Women in business report: building a blueprint for action shows that progress is being made towards gender parity at the senior management level. The last 12 months have seen increases in both the proportion of senior roles held by women and the proportion of businesses with at least one woman in senior management.

In 2019, our Women in business campaign will focus on the real world and seeking solutions to leadership diversity. What is holding back women in leadership? How can we put in place a blueprint for action? This year marks a shift in our reporting on gender diversity in senior management. Our 2019 Women in business report: building a blueprint for action explores how to find out how momentum is building and how we can all drive change.

Francesca Lagerberg, Grant Thornton International’s global leader – network capabilities, has been heading up our Women in business reports for 15 years. She reveals the progress she has seen, and what more needs to happen.

Culture and technology around the world are rapidly progressing, and the only clear prediction we can make about the future is that change will continue to occur at every level of society. Most businesses have realised that they must follow these changes to keep up with the new world – and others have decided to actually become leaders and drive the change further forward.

The last year has seen global business take one step forward but one step back when it comes to gender diversity in leadership. The percentage of businesses around the world with at least one woman in senior management has increased significantly, rising from 66% in 2017 to 75% in 2018. However, at the same time the proportion of senior roles held by women has marginally declined.

Many businesses globally are missing out on opportunities because of a lack of diversity in senior leadership teams. This means that a business does not necessarily reflect the markets or communities in which they operate, and it could be holding them back.

Globally, one in four senior roles is now held by a woman. This is a slight increase from last year. But the proportion of businesses with no women in senior leadership positions has also risen. Once again, developing countries are leading the charge on diversity, with many major economies continuing to lag behind.