The chief executive of Women on Boards UK recently told ICAEW members about the seven ways in which early board roles can boost careers. Julia Root-Gutteridge, ICAEW’s Board Effectiveness manager, reports.

This report provides practical recommendations to improve the provision of information in board packs within financial services.

Based on in-depth interviews with audit committee members in seven CEE countries, this report draws out insights on how audit committees are working, how they are having an impact and how they view the future. It provides insights into some of the common challenges still remaining at a time when the role of audit committees is expanding, largely driven by the introduction of new statutory requirements

In uncertain times for the world economy, growing a stronger profession has seldom been more important. Our guide explores how ICAEW’s work helps the profession respond to these challenges and provides more details on a variety of areas where ICAEW is active. The full range of ICAEW’s work is covered, from efforts to address cyber security concerns to helping to design assurance services for bank capital ratios.

In recent years, governments, regulators and corporate governance groups around the world have been taking initiatives to increase representation of women on boards. Debate continues about the effectiveness of measures to address this and other board diversity issues. However, rather than simply reacting, what should boards themselves be doing? This paper considers the principal drivers of diversity to help boards set and assess diversity objectives to promote long-term business success.

An ICAEW guide to social mobility in the chartered accountancy profession

Annual research from Cranfield University into the numbers of women on Boards

Annual statistics on female board representation across the globe published by Catalyst.

Grant Thornton's review of the annual reports of 297 of the UK’s FTSE 350 companies with years ending between April 2017 and April 2018. The section on nomination committees looks at how successfully the annual report cover the scope and focus of the committee's work, including board composition, independence, diversity and the board evaluation process.

Board Diversity Reporting in 2018 provides a snap shot of diversity reporting across the FTSE 350 and identifies examples that lead the way in terms of quality and approach. Only 15% of FTSE 100 companies fully complied with the UK Corporate Governance code's provision on diversity reporting.

A group of chairs and organisations committed to bringing more women onto UK corporate boards. The initiative aims to have at least 30% women on UK PLC boards within five years.

Annual report from Grant Thornton bringing together findings on the participation of women in senior leadership in businesses globally. Insights and recommended actions which business leaders can take to increase gender diversity in their businesses are also provided.

Fifth edition of the report by the Deloitte Global Centre for Corporate Governance, first published in January 2011 and last updated in May 2017, giving an overview of current initiatives around the world, both legal and regulatory, to increase the number of women serving on corporate boards.

The findings of the Parker Review into ethnic diversity in UK boardrooms, published in November 2016 in association with EY and Linklaters. Recommendations include that each FTSE 100 Board should have at least one director of colour by 2021 and each FTSE 250 Board by 2024