CEW SENIOR EXECUTIVE CENSUS

Now entering its seventh year, the CEW Senior Executive Census tracks the annual progress of women’s representation in Executive Leadership Teams in Australia’s top companies.

The CEW Census is produced with our partners Spencer Stuart, Melior Investment Management, HESTA, and 40:40 Vision. CEW would like to thank and acknowledge our Thought Leadership Partner ANZ.

Seven years of data shows that women are undeniably underrepresented and incremental change is failing to solve the crisis. The 2023 findings show that:

• 91% of ASX300 CEOs are men
• 82% of CEO pipeline roles are held by men
• Only 23% of ASX300 companies have gender balanced leadership teams

• 28 ASX300 companies have no women in their Executive Leadership Teams
• At the current rate of change it could take up to 50 years to reach gender parity in CEO roles

 However, the 2023 data does prove we are moving in the right direction, albeit much too slowly.

• The performance of the ASX100 was a key driver of the improvements on last year’s census.
• For the first time all ASX100 companies have at least one women on their Executive Leadership Team
• Companies with a 40:40 or better target were three times more likely to achieve gender balance than those without

By accelerating the pace of this change, we collectively have an opportunity to help solve the economic and social challenges facing Australians today. Accelerating our efforts to progress gender equality benefits everyone.

Gender equality is not a set and forget objective. Gender balanced leadership is achieved through the winning combination of accountable leadership from the top, combined with policies and cultures that enable the participation and empowerment of women throughout the leadership pipeline.

CEW calls on all ASX300 companies to:

• Set a 40:40:20 by 2030 gender target with real accountability and transparency
• Invest in gender balanced CEO and Executive Leadership Team talent pipelines
• Build inclusive, flexible, and respectful workplaces