The examination of FTSE 350 CEOs comes as INvolve releases its annual Heroes Role Model Lists supported by YouTube which recognises women business leaders and their advocates who are advancing opportunities for women in the workplace
- The FTSE 350 has just 21 female CEOs (6%) compared to 22 male CEOs who are named either Andrew or John
- Despite a marked increase of women in board positions within the FTSE 350, the number of women CEOs has only increased by 3 since 2016 representing less than a 1% change in 9 years. At this rate it will 330 years to reach gender parity
- None of the current women CEOs of FTSE 350 companies are ethnically diverse, pointing to the double-glass-ceiling faced by women of colour in senior leadership roles
- This lack of representation at the top of companies comes as initiatives supporting talent pipelines for women and people of colour are rollbacked in the wake of anti-DEI sentiment
LONDON, Sept. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- An analysis from INvolve of the current FTSE 350 reveals that the UK's largest companies are being led by more men called just Andrew or John, than by women. Despite significant progress being made for gender representation in the boardroom, the CEO role remains stubbornly unrepresentative with just 21 female CEOs currently leading FTSE 350 companies, a total of just 6%, compared to 22 men called either Andrew or John. The number of women leading FTSE 350 companies as a CEO has increased by just 3 over the last 9 years to its highest ever total of 21. At this rate of progress, leadership within the FTSE 350 wouldn't reach gender parity for another 330 years in 2356. Strikingly, none of the current women CEOs are ethnically diverse, underscoring the "double-glass-ceiling" faced by women of colour in reaching the most senior leadership positions.
The imbalance in representation at the top of the UK's largest companies matters. CEOs shape the strategy, culture, and priorities of their organisations, yet this analysis shows that individuals holding these pivotal roles do not reflect the diversity of the workforces they lead or the customers they serve. As some businesses respond to a pushback on DEI commitments, it is a group of mainly white male decision-makers who determine whether progress for women - and especially women of colour - remains on the strategic agenda or stalls altogether. The dismantling of talent programmes and other support specifically targeted and tailored to under-represented demographics risks eroding tomorrow's diverse talent pipelines into leadership, resulting in gender representation going backwards in the coming years.
The release of INvolve's annual Heroes Role Model Lists, supported by YouTube, spotlights those women leaders and advocates who are actively working to stem the tide by driving inclusion for women in global business.
Suki Sandhu OBE, Founder and CEO of INvolve, said:
"The reality is that women, and especially women of colour, remain largely locked out of the most powerful executive seat in business, the CEO. CEOs set the strategic direction of companies and have ultimate decision-making power, yet too often the role is held by a narrow and unrepresentative group.
"This lack of gender diversity at the very top can shape how seriously organisations take equity, and whether actions to diversify tomorrow's talent pipelines to leadership are nurtured or dismantled. Given how slow progress has been towards gender parity, we cannot allow progress to be treated as optional or be reversed by those who currently hold power.
"The women celebrated in our Heroes Role Model Lists prove what's possible when businesses use their platforms to champion inclusion and build workplaces where women have a closer-to-equal chance to progress and succeed."
This year's top Heroes Role Models include:
- Top Heroes Executives 2025
Shirine Khoury-Haq, Group Chief Executive, The Co-operative Group
Dame Carolyn McCall, CEO, ITV
Arungalai Anbarasu, Executive Board Member and President of Körber Business Area Technologies, Körber AG
Filiz Öztürk, Board Member, OPET
Belinda Brown, CFO, Sephora UK
- Top Heroes Advocates 2025
Dean Curtis, Chief Executive Officer, LexisNexis
David Hynam, Chief Executive, LV=
Sanjeev Chatrath, Non-Executive Board Advisor, Napier.AI
Nick Mackenzie, CEO, Greene King
Jon Holt, Group Chief Executive and UK Senior Partner, KPMG
- Top Heroes Future Leaders 2025
Susanne Hogan, Operational Effectiveness Manager, Colt Technology Services
Stella Yam, Director, APAC Head of Transition Services, BlackRock
Taiwo Ade, User Experience Researcher, Etsy
Svetlana Stotskaya, Marketing and Brand Strategist
Elena Veale, Banker, J.P. Morgan Private Bank
The full Heroes Role Model Lists can be found here on Tuesday 23rdSeptember 2025: https://heroes.involverolemodels.org.
Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2779588/INvolve_Heroes_Role_Model_Lists.jpg
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