Financial services leaders, like those at most companies, are grappling with
unprecedented challenges brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak – taking care
of clients, employees, and intermediaries while maintaining business continuity. At the same time, many may still be addressing organisational challenges that arose well before the outbreak. One such issue is how to create greater gender diversity and inclusion throughout their companies and among leadership, including the consideration of candidates for the C-suite.

In this report, we dive deeper into the types of responsibilities and roles that historically have led to CEO appointments and document the statistical underrepresentation of women in those areas. We also spotlight the leadership roles that women tend to hold. While these are all worthy and important roles, they do not appear to align with the traditional path if one’s ultimate goal is to be considered for the CEO job.