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As Europe’s industrial landscape undergoes significant transformation driven by digitalisation, sustainability goals, and technological advancements, the need for inclusive leadership has never been greater. The European Union has been taking multiple steps to try to close the gender gap in industry leadership and support inclusive growth.

In 2020, the EU put forward its Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, which proposes measures specifically targeting gender imbalances in leadership across sectors, including business and finance. In 2022, the Women on Boards Directive was adopted, requiring publicly listed companies in Member States to have women in at least 40% of non-executive board positions by 2026.

However, despite these efforts, data shows that women’s presence on boards has increased, but their presence in board chairs and CEO positions remains markedly low. Specifically, executive roles in male-dominated sectors such as STEM and manufacturing remain significantly underrepresented.

Going forward, the new Commission mandate plans on addressing these issues, with the appointment of a Commissioner for Equality. One of the missions of the new Commissioner will be to work on a new Gender Equality Strategy, updating action on all issues affecting women, including their economic empowerment and the issues they face in the labour market.

Join this Euractiv event to discuss what can be done to close the gender gap and promote female leadership in the industry sector. Questions to be discussed include:

• What additional steps are needed to increase women’s representation in top executive roles in the industry sector?
• What role do mentorship and sponsorship programmes play in preparing women for leadership in industry?
• How can male-dominated industry sectors such as manufacturing and tech adjust recruitment and retention practices to build a more gender-diverse leadership pipeline?
• How can companies measure and report on gender equality progress to enhance transparency and accountability? And how can they effectively cultivate an inclusive corporate culture that supports and retains female leaders?
• How can a new Gender Equality Strategy effectively tackle barriers to women’s economic empowerment and reduce gender disparities in the labour market?

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