A report by the Boardroom, based on our member survey.
Foreword
By Diana Markaki-Bartholdi, Founder & CEO, the Boardroom.
I founded the Boardroom to fight onliness—the quiet but isolating experience of being the only woman in the room where decisions are made. But today, our members are not alone. They are shaping boardrooms, redefining leadership, and reimagining what power can look like when it is shared.
In a world of uncertainty, our members do not sit back. They sit up straighter. They ask tougher questions. They move companies forward. This report reflects their voices—bold, insightful, unfiltered.
Let this be a mirror and a call to action: not just to listen to these women—but to act on what they are telling us.
Executive Summary
This report presents the collective insight of nearly 100 senior women executives— members of the Boardroom—who are navigating leadership at the highest levels across industries and geographies. Their experiences illuminate not just the obstacles that persist, but also the overlooked opportunities for boards and companies to evolve.
The findings point to a fundamental disconnect: while women are ready for board roles, the systems responsible for selecting them remain opaque, informal, and resistant to change. It’s not competence that’s lacking—it’s access.
Yet these women remain forward-looking. They are not asking for validation; they are calling for a modernisation of leadership pipelines, boardroom culture, and corporate governance. Their answers reflect both a deep awareness of risk and a fierce optimism about what leadership could become—if companies are willing to listen.
