According to new analysis by talent solutions consultancy Robert Half, only nine CEOs running FTSE 100 companies are women – despite a drive for diversity and initiatives to support the progression of women in the workplace.

A background in finance and banking was held by 42 per cent of the female CEOs - despite only 19 of the top 100 companies being in the financial sector and of these CEOs, 16 are Chartered Accountants or Chartered Management Accountants, making this the most common profession at the top. Robert Half says that this is a trend that may be linked to concerns over the financial downturn of recent years.

Of the nine female CEOs in the FTSE 100, four were from the financial sector - covering insurance, banking and asset management. They are Italian born Milena Mondini-de-Focatiis of the Admiral Group; Amanda Blanc of Aviva; Alison Rose-Slade of the NatWest Group and Anne Farlow of Pershing Square Holdings.

The research found that 68 per cent of the female CEO’s got to the head of the organisation via internal promotion.  This was a 24 per cent increase up from 2019 - which suggests that planning strategies are being enhanced. However, 47 per cent had been awarded a postgraduate qualification, with 23 per cent holding an MBA.

In previous years,18 per cent of CEOs had attended Oxford or Cambridge, but only four from the current list of FTSE 100 CEOs have been educated at these faculties.

Leyla Tindall - Managing Director for Robert Half Executive Search - said:

“Despite significant progress by companies to improve female representation over the last few years, there are quite simply not enough female bosses filling the top spot in the UK’s most successful companies. There is a myriad of reasons for this, but the most significant is the shortage of females in leadership positions - so shortlists for C-suite roles are often not as diverse as they could be. While the introduction of shared parental leave and better support for women returners is encouraging, the time spent away from the workplace to care for a family still sets women back, while their male counterparts continue to progress.”