Retail leads the way with female leadership appointments

The retail sector appointed the highest number of women to senior positions in 2018, according to the latest research from Korn Ferry.

The research from the search agency, reported by the Telegraph, found that almost a quarter of the 44 senior appointments made in the retail sector last year were women.

Among some of the most notable appointments were Cath Kidston, the global lifestyle brand, appointing Melinda Paraie as its new chief executive, B&M appointing Carolyn Bradley and Tiffany Hall to its board of directors and former Dixons Carphone CEO Katie Bickerstaffe to the board at M&S.

Sarah Lim, managing director at Korn Ferry, believes the figures indicate progress for more diverse boardrooms is being made: “Over the past two years there has been increasing pressure on retailers to address this issue, and it’s gratifying to see signs of positive action.”