The authors of the 2013 Cranfield Female FTSE board report have expressed concern that after a short period of growth, complacency may again be setting in when it comes to improving the number of women on the boards of the UK’s top companies.

All executive search firms have been urged by the Business Secretary, Vince Cable to publish the numbers of men versus women they place in senior positions. This emphasis on transparency will help highlight those firms that are going the extra mile to find high calibre female candidates and tackle gender imbalance in UK companies.

The European Commission has published details of proposed legislation designed to break the glass ceiling that continues to bar female talent from top positions in Europe’s biggest companies.

The European Parliament has urged the European Commission to improve existing EU legislation to close the gender pay gap, including stricter sanctions on employers.