Vince Cable, Liberal Democrat MP for Twickenham, was appointed Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in May 2010. He studied natural science and economics at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, followed by a Ph.D. at Glasgow University. He served in the Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet as Spokesman on Trade and Industry from 1999 to 2003, and Shadow Chancellor from 2003 to 2010; he was Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2006 to 2010.
On 10th March 2015, Business Secretary, Vince Cable, brought together many of the 160 women appointed to FTSE 100 boards since 2011 at a celebration event in London hosted by Lloyds Banking Group. The event was arranged to highlight the excellent progress made to date by the FTSE 100 in increasing female representation on their boards to 22.8% (according to figures released in October 2014) and also to mark International Women’s Day.
Outstanding progress has been made since we launched the Davies Review in 2011 and it is a mark of what has been achieved to see so many recent appointees to FTSE 100 boardrooms here tonight.
Businesses must continue to keep up the momentum to reach our ambition of having at least a quarter of women making up our top company boards in 2015. In the last five years, we have seen a real change in culture and the success of our voluntary business-led approach.
Diverse management teams are good for business and I want to see even more talented and capable business women appointed to the boards of Britain’s biggest companies.
Background: The Davies Review
The progress so far brings female representation in the FTSE 100 close to achieving the target set by Lord Davies in 2011 of 25% in 2015. Updated statistics relating to the FTSE 100 and 250 will be published on 25 March 2015.
Individual companies such as Old Mutual have boosted their female boardroom representation to as much as 38.5% and the progress made across the FTSE 100 demonstrates the increasing opportunities available to Britain’s top businesswomen.
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-innovation-skills
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