A Striking Paradox: Women Board Directors and the Elite Appointment Gap

A study of nearly 2,000 FTSE-100 board directors reveals that women who reach elite board positions are on average more likely than men to receive additional appointments, but that advantage reverses at the most prominent firms. The research highlights how inclusion is not a natural byproduct of representation — boardroom dynamics, facilitation quality, and informal networks still determine who gets heard and re-appointed. For SEA mid-market CEOs building diverse boards, this is a timely reminder that compositional diversity must be paired with deliberate inclusion practices to unlock its governance value.