According to Chief Executive Women’s (CEW) ASX200 Senior Executive Census, Australia has had a 1 per cent reduction in female leadership over the 12-month period, with just 12 female CEOs compared with 14 in 2017.

CEW president Sue Morphet outlined that equality progress has been slow in most areas, while at the very top it has gone backwards.

She said that of the 25 new CEOs appointed over the past year, only two were women.

In other assessment criteria, slight improvements have been noted, with the new report revealing that while 17 of the ASX 200 listed companies have no women in executive leadership teams in 2018, it’s down from 23 last year. 

It also found that 114 companies in the ASX have no women in executive leadership team line roles, again a minor improvement.

The 2019 census shows that women make up a quarter of executive leadership teams in ASX 200 companies – a 2 per cent increase from 2018.

Despite lower representation at the top, women hold 16 per cent of the CFO roles, which is an increase from the 12 per cent recorded in the previous years.

Ms Morphet highlighted that the 2019 census “reveals encouraging progress at the CFO level, a highly influential and important role in all ASX 200 companies”. 

She said that “the number of women CFOs has almost doubled since the census began three years ago, from 17 in 2017 to 32 in 2019”.

About the author

Cameron is a journalist for Momentum Media's nestegg and Smart Property Investment. He enjoys giving Aussies practical financial tips and tricks to help grow their wealth and achieve financial independence. As a self-confessed finance nerd, Cameron enjoys chatting with industry experts and commentators to leverage their insights to grow your portfolio.

About the author

Cameron is a journalist for Momentum Media's nestegg and Smart Property Investment. He enjoys giving Aussies practical financial tips and tricks to help grow their wealth and achieve financial independence. As a self-confessed finance nerd, Cameron enjoys chatting with industry experts and commentators to leverage their insights to grow your portfolio.

Cameron is a journalist for Momentum Media's nestegg and Smart Property Investment. He enjoys giving Aussies practical financial tips and tricks to help grow their wealth and achieve financial independence. As a self-confessed finance nerd, Cameron enjoys chatting with industry experts and commentators to leverage their insights to grow your portfolio.

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