Tatiana Furtseva, managing partner at Heidrick & Struggles and a co-founder of Women on Boards Ukraine, recently participated in a panel discussion on “Gender diversity and gender empowerment: about the need to have more women in powerful positions in the upper echelon." This event took place during the “Finance of Tomorrow: Diversity, Innovation, Growth” conference organized by the Committee of Diversity and Inclusion of the Association of Polish Banks (ZBP) in Warsaw. The primary focus was on strengthening the presence of women in leadership roles within organizations.

There is a significant progress reached in increasing female representation on boards of directors across most EU countries, largely due to board quota laws and the Women on Boards Directive ((EU) 2022/2381), which was finally adopted in November 2022. However, this rise in female board members has not yet led into substantial changes in appointing women to more powerful roles. The UK stands ahead in this regard, with regulations ensuring that at least one key position—such as CEO, CFO, Chair, or Senior Independent Director—is held by a woman.

Boosting women's participation in decision-making processes not only promotes gender equality but also improves the efficiency, innovation, and sustainable development of companies.