Glass ceiling a distraction, says top female executive

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Kathleen O'Donovan, who became the first female finance director of a FTSE 100 company when she took that role at conglomerate BTR in 1991, said: "There needs to be a significant increase in the pool of women and we believe there are women out there with enough experience who when mentored and specifically developed in this area will be classed as board ready."

She and co-founder Isabel Bird have launched a firm, Bird & Co, specialising in training women for the boardroom particularly as non-executive directors.

Bird said: "There have been too many reports about glass ceilings which lament the lack of women on boards but provide no answers. Boards are willing to recruit women but there is a supply problem. We spoke to chief executives and chairmen and found that the absence of women is no longer a demand-side issue."

Bird & Co's report quotes one senior FTSE 100 independent director as saying: "It is easier to find suitably qualified and experienced male candidates rather than females because there is something wrong with the supply chain." Another said: "The board should reflect both the society in which the company operates and the areas and countries in which it runs its business."