According to the FTSE Women Leaders’ report, women hold almost 45% of seats on FTSE 100 boards however many are still being paid less than men

Last month, the FTSE Women Leaders Review was published. The Review, part of a wider campaign to increase the number of women in leadership positions in the UK, celebrated its launch last week with an exclusive reception hosted by the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, the Rt Hon Jonathan Reynolds MP.

Despite being underrepresented in the overall labour force, women make up the majority of beauty industry workers. 

In the UK just 35% of all business owners are women, but in the beauty industry this rises to an enormous 80% according to the British Beauty Council’s Value of Beauty report. This means that the beauty industry provides more senior job opportunities for women than most other business areas.

Moreover, the average age of the industry’s workforce is just 36, compared to 41 in the overall UK workforce. 

The report revealed a staggering increase in the number of women on company boards, from 9.5% in 2011, to 43% in 2025. Despite this, women in the beauty industry are still not paid as much as men.

 

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This is where reports like the FTSE Women Leaders Review come in. It explains the areas in which equity is increasing, but also the areas where there is still room for improvement and is based on information from some of the UK’s largest private companies.

At the launch of the report, Employment Rights Minister Justin Madders said:  

‘What the results of this year’s report show is that British companies understand and appreciate the value of a diverse leadership team with more women at the top table. 

In today’s fiercely competitive global economy, this diversity isn’t just nice to have, it’s essential for success and generating growth. This is why we’re committed to breaking down any remaining barriers to ensure the UK remains a shining example of gender equality in business.’

Key takeaways from the report include a huge increase to the number of women on FTSE 350 company boards, with most companies meeting a target of 40% female board members, and an upward trend towards women in senior management.

The report also highlighted its 2025 recommendations for FTSE 350 companies:

• Aiming for 40% of company board members to be women.
• Aiming to have at least one woman in the Chair or Senior Independent Director role on the board and/or one woman in the Chief Executive Officer or Finance Director role.
• Companies that do not have at least 33% representation of women on their boards should consider this when hiring for new job openings.
• Companies should encourage participation in these goals from the wider business community.

All in all, the report shows that whilst there are still improvements to be made, the UK business community remains at the forefront of female leadership. 

Moreover, the Council’s reports show how the female-led British beauty industry reflects this sentiment. As a consistently innovative and expansive industry, we hope that British beauty will continue to expand and progress in 2025 and beyond.

Click here to read the FTSE Women Leaders Review.