Women at Severn Trent's helm show the way forward

Severn Trent Water has once again been named in an annual business-led review as one of the companies with the greatest percentage of board positions held by women, ranking second among the FTSE 350.

The company’s recognition in the fifth and final Hampton-Alexander Review showed it to be one of just four businesses in the FTSE 350 to have a female chief and chair. alongside Pennon Group. Pennon was twelfth in the ranking of the FTSE 350 on the percentage of its board positions held by women. And Severn Trent was one of only two in the FTSE 100 with more women than men on its board.

The 2020 Hampton review showed women made up more than 58% of Severn Trent’s board and more than 38% of its senior leaders. Severn Trent chief, Liv Garfield (pictured), said: “We’re in a traditionally male-dominated industry but, for me, it’s always been about appointing the best people to the right roles and, by doing that, we’ve managed to both build a top performing team and to improve our gender diversity.

“It really shouldn’t be unusual for a FTSE company to have a female chief or a female chair, so it’s clear there’s plenty more work to be done but Hampton-Alexander’s done a fantastic job in shining a light on gender diversity over the years.”

The report showed that 34.3% of FTSE 350 board positions were now held by women, with the number of women on boards increasing by 50% over the past five years. In FTSE 100 companies, 36.2% of board positions and 30.6% of leadership roles were occupied by women.

The Hampton-Alexander Review set a target, in 2015, of women holding 33% of the positions on FTSE 350 boards and in executive committee and direct reports by the end of 2020.