Saturday 8 March marked International Women’s Day (IWD), and throughout the month we have promoted the achievements of women in the business world. Sally Percy asked what it takes to succeed as a non-executive director on today’s boards. In the US, 35.4% of board seats in the largest 100 companies of the Russell 3000 index were women in 2024, up from 23.9% in 2017. There’s a similar picture in the EU, where women now fill 34% of boardroom positions. Women are still far less likely than men to be chairs or chief executives of these companies, but this is positive change.
In public sector news, we look at how governments need to recognise the important role of gender-responsive budgeting – the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies and programmes. A new report from ACCA looks at the implementation of gender-responsive budgeting across Eastern Europe, Eurasia and the Middle East, stressing that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Find out what the report says.
Ann Prendergast, head of EMEA operations at State Street Global Advisors, based in Dublin, Ireland, explains how important it is to be curious and inclusive. ‘Diversity is absolutely key to us in terms of how we drive our business,’ she says. ‘While we would hope that, one day, it’s something we won’t have to think about, it is also something we have to be constantly vigilant about, because it is important and does make a difference… EMEA represents a multitude of cultures, languages and expectations, with a lot of different client types within that.’
Meanwhile, in the US, these are taxing times as the president’s gutting of the IRS, the government tax collection agency, stokes fears of a surge in fraud. According to one expert, the staffing reductions could harm the ability of the IRS to detect and prevent money laundering and tax evasion.
Finally, if you find yourself constantly putting off tasks, you are not alone. Find out how to beat procrastination by learning new habits – while also making time to do nothing.
