Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the EC in charge of Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, received European business leaders to discuss the presence of women in boardrooms.
Corporate Europe is still a man's world: just one in 10 board members at Europe's biggest companies are women and in 97% of cases the board is chaired by a man. Studies show that businesses with more women at the top outperform "men only" companies. Their operating income is higher and they are better at attracting talent and understanding customers. Making the most of Europe's female talent in the workforce is not just good for business – it also benefits the economy and society as a whole. Women represent 60% of university graduates, but continue to be under-represented in economic decision-making posts.
At the occasion of a specially convened Summit, Viviane Reding met CEOs and chairs of boards of publicly listed companies from 10 European countries. The participants notably discussed how to get more women into top jobs.