Davos diversity comes under fire
Just one in four UK delegates are female
JUST one in four of the British delegates heading to Davos this week are female, in what campaigners have called a ‘pathetic’ show of diversity from the business community.
Of the 269 British leaders who will travel to the World Economic Forum’s four-day annual meeting of the global elite in the Swiss ski resort, 73 are women.
They include Fidelity International’s boss Anne Richards, the chief executive of Glaxosmithkline Emma Walmsley ( pictured), and the Confederation of British Industry’s Carolyn Fairbairn.
Overall, the ratio of women to men at this year’s Davos summit – although low at 24pc – is much better than the FTSE 100. The government-backed Hampton-Alexander Review, published at the end of last year, found that just six Footsie firms had female chief executives.
And while representation of women in the boardrooms of FTSE 350 companies had improved – there were only two boards made entirely of men, and 43 which include just one woman – there was still some way to go to reach the 2020 goal of 33pc of leadership positions occupied by women.
This year’s WEF meeting, which will focus on sustainability and climate change, is boasting a roster of female speakers such as environmentalist Greta Thunberg, president of the European Central bank Christine Lagarde, and German chancellor Angela Merkel.
Ann Cairns, co- chairman of the 30pc Club campaigning for more women in senior positions, and executive vice chairman of Mastercard, said: ‘I believe companies would benefit hugely from including more senior women in their delegation.
‘Especially when the big issues of the day include climate change and gender balance and when there’s no doubt that women will be impacted by climate change in a disproportionate way all over the world.’
Some sessions during the conference will specifically address gender diversity, including one on how empowering women can allow them to address poverty, one on how increasing access to trade could allow more women to contribute to labour markets, and one on ending sexual harassment in the workplace. Denise Wilson, chief executive of the Hampton-Alexander Review, said: ‘In this 50th anniversary year of Davos, it is a mark of progress that the number of prominent women speakers continues to increase. However, it is disappointing that the gender balance of attendees remains heavily skewed in favour of men.
‘Companies need to examine their processes for selecting attendees and make sure senior women are offered an equal opportunity to join an important debate.’
WEF has pledged to at least double the number of women attending Davos over the next decade.
Oliver Cann, head of strategic communications at WEF, said: ‘Davos is one of the most diverse summits in the world, however there is still much more to be done when it comes to closing the gender gap in leadership.