Female Board Members Far More Likely Than Male Board Members to Have Professional Technology Experience, Accenture Research F...
August 31 2016 - 8:47AM
Business Wire
Results show lack of technology experience –
among women and men alike – in boardrooms globally
Female members of corporate boards of directors are nearly twice
as likely as their male counterparts to have professional
technology experience, according to new research from Accenture
(NYSE:ACN).
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To understand the gender composition of corporate boards and the
role technology plays in the careers of female board members,
Accenture examined women’s representation on the boards of more
than 500 Forbes Global 2000 companies in 39 countries across
Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Australia.
The research found that 16 percent of female directors,
versus 9 percent of male directors, have professional
technology experience.
While Accenture’s research shows a general shortage of
technology experience in boardrooms in this digital era – with only
10 percent of all board members having professional technology
experience – the findings point to the opportunity that women with
professional technology experience might have in getting on
corporate boards.
“As technology disrupts virtually every industry, companies need
to think more broadly about the type of skills and experience
needed for their boards, including getting more technology acumen
into the boardroom. At the same time, they need to stay focused on
gender diversity, since organizations with diversity at the board
level perform better,” said Roxanne Taylor, Accenture’s chief
marketing and communications officer. “Women directors with
technology experience bring diversity and valuable
insight – a clear recipe for strategic advantage.”
The research also reveals key differences among countries in the
percentage of female directors with technology experience. For
example, among the 10 most-represented countries in the sample –
the United States, Japan, Germany, China, France, the United
Kingdom, Spain, Canada, the Netherlands and Australia – the U.S.
has the highest percentage of female directors with professional
technology experience, at 26 percent (versus 17 percent of
male board members).
In seven of those 10 countries, the percentage of female board
members with technology experience exceeded the percentage of male
board members with such experience. Only in Spain, Canada and
China did male directors have more professional technology
experience than female directors.
Accenture’s research also found notable differences between
industries in the percentage of female directors with technology
experience. Not surprisingly, of the 15 industries covered by
the research (see Methodology, below), the one with the highest
percentage of tech-savvy female board members is technology, at
51 percent – more than double the average of most other
industries.
Communications ranks second, at 29 percent, followed by
healthcare, at 22 percent; and automotive and industrial; energy;
and pharmaceuticals, chemicals and life sciences, at
17 percent each. At the bottom of the list are banking and
insurance, at 8 percent and 2 percent, respectively. In
all but two industry sectors, both of which are part of the broader
financial services sector – capital markets & diversified
financials, and insurance – the percentage of women with technology
experience exceeds the number of men with technology
experience.
“It’s clear that more and more jobs – up to and including the
board level – will require technology skills,” added Taylor. “With
the number of women pursuing computer science degrees hovering
around 20 percent, we need to find new ways to get women excited
about technology as early as possible.”
These findings complement those of a recent Accenture study
about women in the workplace and digital fluency – the extent to
which people embrace and use digital technologies to become more
knowledgeable, connected and effective. That research,
entitled Getting to Equal: How Digital is Helping Close the Gender
Gap at Work, found that digital fluency is helping to close the
gender gap and level the playing field for women in the
workplace.
Methodology
Accenture examined women’s representation on the boards of 518
Forbes Global 2000 companies in 39 countries across Europe, Asia,
North America, South America and Australia. In total, 7,188 board
of director profiles were screened, including those of 1,166 female
directors. The research covered 15 industry sectors: automotive and
industrial; banking; insurance; capital markets & diversified
financials; communications; consumer goods & services; energy;
healthcare; media; natural resources; pharmaceuticals, chemicals
and life sciences; retail; technology; travel, and utilities. For
the purpose of the research, professional technology experience was
defined as holding a key technology position – such as serving as a
chief technology officer, chief information officer or chief
digital officer – at their current company or at a previous
company, or having senior responsibility at a technology firm. The
research was conducted between February and April 2016.
About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company,
providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy,
consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining
unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40
industries and all business functions – underpinned by the world’s
largest delivery network – Accenture works at the intersection of
business and technology to help clients improve their performance
and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With more
than 375,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries,
Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and
lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160831005770/en/
AccentureStacey Jones, +
1-917-452-6561stacey.jones@accenture.comorSam Hyland, +
1-917-452-5184samuel.hyland@accenture.com
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