But only one in three leadership roles and around 25% of all executive committee roles are held by women and there are very few women in the CEO role wile only 16% of finance directors are women, reveals the latest figures from the FTSE Women Leaders Review, which monitors women’s representation in 24,000 positions on FTSE 350 boards and leadership teams.

The government has set new targets to ensure that all FTSE 350 companies have at least one woman in a senior role, including CEO, finance director or chief financial officer within three years, and is extending the review to include the largest privately held companies.