“A number of FTSE350 companies are asking about approaches to Board diversity:
Have companies considered their position with regard to their aspirational targets for the number of women on their company boards by 2013 and 2015?
Are companies contemplating a separate RNS (or own website) announcement of diversity targets for 2013 and 2015 in light of the latest correspondence from BIS? Or were you planning to address this in your next Annual Report cycle?
Have any companies have already made such statements – and what did they say?”
We will consider a statement proposed to be included within our corporate governance report (due to be published in September) at our August Board meeting. The statement is likely to say that we support diversity within the Board, including gender diversity. We are presently well represented on the gender diversity front on the Board and, subject to the Board discussion, we do not aim to set targets but comment that our aspiration is to maintain a high level of diversity..
We are reviewing this at our board meeting in August and I can provide further feedback after that. It is a topic that is being taken seriously by our Company and we would like to make a statement as encouraged by the Davies Report but we have yet to decide the manner and form in which we make a statement, if any, by September.
We intend to include a statement on diversity within our interim management statement, which will be released in September. The statement will state that the Board supports diversity and will confirm the level of female representation on the Board at the time of the announcement. We do not feel it appropriate to set targets for representation as Board appointments will be based on a spectrum of factors including experience, skills and diversity (including gender).
The matter has been subject of preliminary discussion by the board and there is a further discussion tabled at the Nominations Committee later in the year. We are waiting for FRC position and will most likely comment in Annual Report published Q1 2012. We currently have one female board member (@15%) and plan as a general principle to ensure there is always at least one going forward. Data on women in senior management positions is being gathered.
It is on the agenda for the August Board meeting. We are considering putting a sort of non-commital statement on our website but not to make an RNS announcement. We have two women Board members (22%). We may make a further statement in the 2012 Annual Report. We will be writing in response to the letter.
We are not planning on a separate announcement but would look to make a statement, building on our usual statement, in our Annual Report, which will be published Q1 2012. We have been contemplating a statement in our Q3 IMS, should there be an emerging and general practice to make a statement in the autumn.
We included a paragraph on Board Diversity in our interim results, but have not committed to a target.
We disclosed in our Chairman’s statement, within our annual report published in June this year. We currently have one female NED (12.5%). We said we were committed to 20% female board membership by 2013, and 25% by 2015.
We haven’t disclosed the percentage of female senior executive management, or the total number of women employed by our company, which will be addressed in our next annual report cycle.
This was an agenda item at our June board. We will not be making a RNS announcement and whether we will address this in our next annual report remains to be seen
We agree with the principle, and plan to write to confirm this, but not to make a public statement for the time being. We may well mkae a disclosure in our annual report to be published in April 2012.
currrent thinking is that we await the outcome of the FRC review before adopting any approach regarding the issue. We have one female non-executive director on the Board at the moment.
regards
Our current thinking, although not yet finally confirmed by the board, is not to make a public announcement about our aspirations (and to write to Lord Davies telling him why) but to put a clear statement in our next annual report.