UK: women on boards - Lord Davies' report

Lord Davies' report and recommendations were published earlier today: see here (pdf). There is further background information, including a podcast, here. Lord Davies recommends (to quote directly from his report):

• All Chairmen of FTSE 350 companies should set out the percentage of women they aim to have on their boards in 2013 and 2015. FTSE 100 boards should aim for a minimum of 25% female representation by 2015 and we expect that many will achieve a higher figure. Chairmen should announce their aspirational goals within the next six months (by September 2011). Also we expect all Chief Executives to review the percentage of women they aim to have on their Executive Committees in 2013 and 2015.
• Quoted companies should be required to disclose each year the proportion of women on the board, women in Senior Executive positions and female employees in the whole organisation.
• The Financial Reporting Council should amend the UK Corporate Governance Code to require listed companies to establish a policy concerning boardroom diversity, including measurable objectives for implementing the policy, and disclose annually a summary of the policy and the progress made in achieving the objectives.
• Companies should report on the matters in recommendations 1, 2 and 3 in their 2012 Corporate Governance Statement whether or not the underlying regulatory changes are in place. In addition, Chairmen will be encouraged to sign a charter supporting the recommendations.
• In line with the UK Corporate Governance Code provision B2.4 “A separate section of the annual report should describe the work of the nomination committee, including the process it has used in relation to board appointments”. Chairmen should disclose meaningful information about the company’s appointment process and how it addresses diversity in the company’s annual report including a description of the search and nominations process.
• Investors play a critical role in engaging with company boards. Therefore investors should pay close attention to recommendations 1-5 when considering company reporting and appointments to the board.
• We encourage companies periodically to advertise non-executive board positions to encourage greater diversity in applications.
• Executive search firms should draw up a Voluntary Code of Conduct addressing gender diversity and best practice which covers the relevant search criteria and processes relating to FTSE 350 board level appointments.
• In order to achieve these recommendations, recognition and development of two different populations of women who are well-qualified to be appointed to UK boards needs to be considered: [a] executives from within the corporate sector, for whom there are many different training and mentoring opportunities; and [2] women from outside the corporate mainstream, including entrepreneurs, academics, civil servants and senior women with professional service backgrounds, for whom there are many fewer opportunities to take up corporate board positions. A combination of entrepreneurs, existing providers and individuals needs to come together to consolidate and improve the provision of training and development for potential board members.
• A steering board will meet every six months to consider progress against these measures and will report annually with an assessment of whether sufficient progress is being made.

The Financial Reporting Council has announced that it will consult on those recommendations addressed to it: see here.