The Managing Partners Forum (MPF) has called on boards of all professional services firms to have women in 40% of leadership roles within the next three years.
Its survey of 44 professional firms, about two-thirds of which were law firms, found women in 16% of CEO roles, just over a quarter (27%) of business unit leader roles and 46% of functional management leadership roles. According to its projects, about 28% of professional services CEOs will be women in three years’ time. However, it wants firms to go further.
Michael Strong, chair of the MPF, says: “Gender equality for senior roles is more advanced within professional services than the 5% of female CEOs in the FTSE 100 and the 4% in the S&P 500.
“The projections for the next three years are encouraging as is the fact that professional firms are finally selecting leaders and functional managers in a way that is consistent with women constituting a majority of their trainees.”
