Women now hold around 43% of FTSE 350 board seats in the UK, but only about 36% of the executive leadership roles below the board, and far fewer of the top executive jobs. The main barriers are no longer at the boardroom door; they sit in the pipeline of senior management roles that lead there. Closing that gap needs action from organisations and from individuals, and it helps to be clear which is which. If you want structured support, LSBUK's women in leadership course covers communication, influence and leadership planning.
What the latest figures show
The FTSE Women Leaders Review, published in February 2026, reported that:
- women held 42.7% of FTSE 350 board seats, broadly flat on the previous year
- women held 35.9% of FTSE 350 leadership roles (executive committees and their direct reports)
- women held 8% of FTSE 350 chief executive roles and 21% of finance director roles
Source: FTSE Women Leaders Review 2026, published February 2026 (figures checked against the report on 5 October 2026). Figures cover the largest listed companies; the picture in smaller companies and many sectors is less well measured.
Two conclusions follow. Board representation has improved greatly since 2011, when it was around 10%. But progress has slowed, and the executive roles that lead to CEO and finance director positions remain heavily male.
Barriers to women in leadership
Research and practitioner experience point to barriers at several points in a career:
- The step into first management. McKinsey and LeanIn.Org's Women in the Workplace research, based mainly on US companies, calls this the "broken rung": fewer women are promoted into their first manager role, so fewer reach the senior pipeline.
- Access to sponsorship. Women are often well mentored but less often actively sponsored by senior leaders for stretch roles. See mentoring vs sponsorship.
- Line versus functional roles. Senior executive roles often go to people with profit-and-loss experience, and women are under-represented in those line roles.
- Assessment and bias. Informal promotion processes leave more room for bias than structured, criteria-based ones.
- Caring responsibilities and inflexible roles. Senior roles designed around long, fixed hours exclude many capable candidates.
Organisational and individual actions
It is important not to put the whole burden on individual women. Many barriers are structural and need organisational action. But individuals can still influence their own progression.
| Organisations can | Individuals can |
|---|---|
| Use structured, criteria-based promotion decisions | Ask how promotion decisions are made, and what evidence counts |
| Set targets for executive pipelines, not only boards | Seek line roles and profit-and-loss responsibility where possible |
| Create formal sponsorship programmes | Build relationships with potential sponsors, not only mentors |
| Design senior roles that allow flexibility | Negotiate the conditions that make a senior role workable |
| Track representation at every level | Keep a record of achievements with evidence and numbers |
Define a development plan
A practical plan for the next 12 months:
- Name the next role you want, and find out what it requires.
- Map the gaps between your experience and those requirements.
- Choose two or three experiences that close the biggest gaps, such as leading a cross-functional project or taking budget responsibility.
- Identify who influences the decision, and plan how they will see your work. Our stakeholder influence exercise can help.
- Agree support: a mentor, a sponsor, training.
- Review quarterly.
Our guide on building a leadership development plan includes a template and worked example.
Structured development
A structured programme can help you work on leadership identity, influence, negotiation and a personal development strategy alongside a peer cohort. LSBUK's Women in Leadership course covers these themes, live online or in London. For broader management skills, see Mastering Leadership and Management. No course can promise a promotion; what it can give you is a plan, practice and a network.
Related reading
- Women in leadership subject guide: development plans, mentoring and sponsorship, influence and the course
- Development and influence practice pack: a worked behaviour goal, stakeholder map and review
The bottom line
UK boards are close to gender balance, but executive pipelines are not, and progress has slowed. Organisations need to fix the structures; individuals can plan their experience, build sponsorship and make their work visible to the people who decide.