Women gained 34 seats on the boards of S&P 500 companies in the first two months of the year, the strongest start since at least 2019, bolstered by the naming of three female chief executive officers.
The increase compares with 2022, when the pace of advancement was about half the rate of the previous two years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. This year, women gained 16 seats in January and 18 in February, the data show. The average number of female directors was unchanged, however, at 3.6, out of an average board size of 11.2.
The pace of female appointments slowed last year with women close to occupying 33% of board seats — a number often considered a crucial point for exerting more influence. With fewer than 500 seats changing hands each year, directors are starting to discuss ways to speed up the turnover, said Friso van der Oord, senior vice president of content at the National Association of Corporate Directors.
Source: Women Gain 34 S&P 500 Board Seats in Strong Start to New Year – Bloomberg
