Anna Lane
Founder, The Wisdom Council
For the first time in eight years, female representation in top leadership is declining. That should concern anyone who cares about business success because companies that fail to reflect society will fail to serve it.
Nearly 45 years ago, Women in Banking & Finance (WIBF) was founded when women made up 50% of the financial services workforce but just 1% of senior managers. Since then, change has come, but far too slowly. Today, women hold 35% of senior leadership roles — a shift that should be bigger, given the time that has passed. Yet, instead of accelerating, progress is now at risk.
The business case for gender balance
This isn’t about fairness, it’s about the bottom line. Firms with inclusive cultures are 60% more likely to improve profits and productivity. By 2030, women will control 70% of global wealth, yet financial firms still struggle to attract and retain them.
A $90 trillion wealth transfer is underway; ignoring women as employees and customers is a business risk. If half the population is female but your leadership team is not, are you really hiring the best people?
Today, women hold 35%
of senior leadership roles.
What’s holding women back?
Since 2020, the Accelerating Change Together (ACT) programme has been tackling this question head-on:
- Women aren’t lacking ambition — opportunity is the problem.
- Mid-career is the breaking point. The GOOD FINANCE Framework, developed with LSE, revealed 11 key barriers to progress.
- Culture is key. The ‘Inclusive Individual’ report showed that inclusive workplaces drive retention and performance.
Why 2025 is the year for action
This year, WIBF is addressing three key questions: (1) Are women rewarded less for equal performance? (2) What’s the real link between gender balance and business success? (3) Which five interventions will drive change, and how do we measure them?
The financial sector knows what works. Now, it must decide to: act on gender balance, or risk falling behind; fix the leadership pipeline; turn research into action. This International Women’s Day, WIBF is clear: women are key to the future of finance. It’s time for the industry to catch up.
