Severn Trent leads on gender diversity in the boardroom

Severn Trent Water is among the UK leaders in gender diversity and the number of women occupying senior leadership roles according to findings from a recent review.

The Hampton-Alexander Review, which monitors the gender balance in more than 20,000 senior leadership positions in FTSE 350 companies, ranked Severn Trent as the league leader among utilities for the number of female board and executive committee members. The review report showed the company third in the FTSE 350 for women holding senior positions. Just under half of its board are women.

Severn Trent appointed Christine Hodgson (pictured) as its new chair in April to become becoming the second ever FTSE 100 company to have a female chair and a female chief executive.

Severn Trent chief, Liv Garfield, said: “It’s encouraging to see the progress that’s been made generally over the last 12 months across boardrooms up and down the country. However, the report is very clear that more could and should be done.”

She added: “We can also do more to reflect our diverse workforce in our own boardroom.”

The Hampton-Alexander Review revealed that the FTSE 250 has had its strongest year yet for female appointments and if the same rate of progress continues next year, the FTSE 350 will be on track to meet its 33% Women on Boards target by the end of 2020.