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Former trade minister Mervyn Davies is set to lead an inquiry into why there are so few women on company boards as part of a government drive to tackle inequality.
Ministers announced a drive for gender equality with a review into the obstacles facing women in the boardroom.
Business minister Edward Davey and equalities minister Lynne Featherstone said the former Labour minister, Lord Davies will develop a business strategy to increase the number of women on the boards of listed companies in the UK.
The review follows research from Cranfield University that found women made up just 12.2 per cent of directors of FTSE 100 companies, and 7.3 per cent of FTSE 250 companies in 2009.
The coalition pledged itself the aspiration that by 2015 "at least half of all new appointees being made to the boards of public bodies will be women".
It said that appointments to the boards of public organisations, such as quangos, departments and NHS bodies, would continue to be made on merit.
And the government will "step up its effort" to attract qualified women to public positions and ensure that working practices and conditions are family-friendly.
A Commons Treasury committee report earlier this year suggested a lack of female directors in the City of London may have worsened the crisis in the financial sector.
Lord Davies said: "While it is essential that the boards of UK companies are meritocratic, the fact that there are only 131 female directors in FTSE 100 companies means that we cannot be using all the skills and talents that make our workforce so competitive.
"I am looking forward to leading this work and hearing the views of those with an interest in this area. I hope to help more women to rise to the top of their professions and become our business leaders of the future."
Davey said: "Mervyn is a true champion of this cause and worked hard to emphasise the importance of diversity while he was at Standard Chartered.
"I know that he will work with the same determination in this new role and he has the profile and standing to drive forward this important area of work."
Article Comments
Nobody should be promoted to a position of authority, trust, or business control, without the necessary ability or merit to be capable of the position.
The market must be allowed to select from and with its experience the correct people for the position. This should apply no matter what the religion, creed or colour.
We have seen many disasters from ethnic and female forced promotions in recent years, to positions they have been unable to cope with, in private and particularly government departments. The EU and Government must stop meddling in this matter and allow natural development of the situation.
SAILOR 2
7th Aug 2010 at 4:08 pm
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd
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