The share of women on the boards of large publicly listed Finnish companies has risen to 40 percent for the first time, according to the Finland Chamber of Commerce.
The proportion of women in mid-sized listed companies has also risen to 37 percent, while in small listed companies it has remained steady at a record 30 percent.
According to Ville Kajala, a leading expert at the chamber, these figures indicate that companies are preparing for next year's corporate governance code recommendation — it stipulates that women and men must be equally represented on company boards.
To achieve balanced gender representation on boards across all listed firms, approximately 45 more women still need to be elected at next spring's general meetings.
"In many companies, achieving a balanced gender distribution depends on just one person. In that sense, reaching the goal seems possible. However, a board's composition is always influenced by many factors beyond gender. Members' skills, experience, and perspectives should complement each other, and finding the right candidate can sometimes take time," Kajala said.
