Joseph Ackermann, chief executive of Deutsche Bank, one of the world’s largest financial services providers, recently summed up some of the reasons why there are so few women at the top of European business. When asked if the German government should introduce quotas to boost a paltry 2% of female board members, he quipped that he was strongly interested in having as many women as possible on his board, as they’d add more colour and beauty. Unsurprisingly, Ackermann presides over an all-male executive.