The number of female CEOs globally has increased by 27% though they still only account for 5.5% of the total. The number of CFOs who are women has increased by 17% and now account for 16% of all CFO positions globally.
At 6.7%, Europe has the highest percentage of women as CEOs and has also seen the largest increase since 2019. However, the proportion in Asia ex Japan continues to track higher at 6.2%, while that of the USA stands at 5.6%. At the CFO level, women are particularly well represented in APAC ex Japan. Women in the region are approaching a quarter of CFOs, well ahead of Europe and the USA.
The Gender 3000 “diversity premium”
While not asserting causality, previous Gender 3000 reports outlined a correlation between greater gender diverse companies and superior corporate and share price outperformance, or a diversity premium. The study finds this still holds true with 200 basis points of alpha generated by those companies displaying gender diversity above the average vs those below. ESG scores are also superior. Furthermore, the latest report highlights that the best-performing companies display superior diversity in both the boardroom and the C-Suite.
Gender and diversity more broadly
This year’s report goes beyond the binary male versus female lens and examines companies in terms of broader diversity and inclusion policies related to gender and sexual identities. It shows that companies with a greater focus on gender and diversity more broadly tend to perform better in relation to their environmental and governance policies.
To examine the impact of enhanced diversity on corporate performance through a lens of LGBT inclusiveness, the report uses a market-cap weighted and sector-adjusted basket of around 400 LGBT-inclusive companies. Companies were selected using a number of external sources focused on assessing company policies, practices and benefits pertinent to LGBT+ rights. This analysis indicates that investors seeking to maximize returns should focus on companies that put both women and diversity more broadly at the heart of their corporate strategy.
Stakeholders increasingly focus on diversity disclosures beyond the board and executive management levels. Looking at the top 300 US companies by market cap the authors found that the top sectors in terms of workplace diversity disclosure were energy, utilities and financials. The bottom three sectors were materials, industrials, and consumer staples.
The gender entrepreneurial gap
Relative female representation in entrepreneurship has improved over the past five years, with the ratio of female-to male-founded start-ups rising from 0.62 to 0.73. We find that female-founded businesses are smaller than male-founded businesses with lower revenue and lower valuation. Among the top 100 unicorns globally, none is founded by a female-only team. While assets under management devoted to “gender lens investing” have increased to USD 10 billion as at Q1 2021, more can be done to further improve the representation of women in entrepreneurship.
Lydie Hudson, CEO of Sustainability, Research & Investment Solutions at Credit Suisse commented: “Diversity and inclusion are at the heart of the ESG focus among investors and policymakers, specifically shaping expectations as to what good governance looks like. This research outlines the important correlation between diversity and corporate performance. As a global business, we have always been committed to diversity of people and thought and to see such empirical evidence of its benefit is encouraging. However, as the report highlights, we know there is still work to be done. Studies like Gender 3000 are an excellent temperature check to see where we are and how far we still have to go for equitable progress.”
Richard Kersley, Head of Global Thematic Research at Credit Suisse commented: “It is heartening to see a continued increase in boardroom diversity being represented in our latest Gender 3000 report reflecting the positive correlation between gender diversity and corporate outperformance. However, as we have always maintained throughout the life of our studies, we do not assert cause and effect in our analysis and only point to the observable and enduring correlation. Although we know for sure gender diversity within management and the boardroom is increasing globally, there is still plenty of room for improvement, particularly in emerging and notable Asian countries. This year, we also delved into the lens of LGBT inclusiveness and found shareholders are becoming increasingly engaged with the topic of diversity more broadly.”
