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Number of women on boards rises to 10% 

men and women executive
Women are gradually getting a foot in the executive door Keystone / Peter Schneider

The percentage of women on executive boards of Switzerland’s largest 100 employers has – for the first time – reached 10%, a report has found. 


According to an annual survey by the Schilling human resource consultancyExternal link, companies appointed a woman to every fifth (21%) seat that became vacant on management boards (up from 18% in 2019’s report).  

Most women were appointed internally: 61% which exceeded the percentage of men recruited internally (59%). This showed an “encouraging” focus on talent development, the report said. 

But despite the rise in appointments, only just over half (53%) of the companies actually had women on their executive boards.  

“There is still a need for a clear commitment on the part of executive and supervisory boards,” said the report. 

The public sector was again found to be leading the way with the percentage of women employed as top executives reaching 20% for the first time.  

The greater gender diversity in the public sector is due to better conditions for balancing career and family commitments, according to Schilling.

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