Number of women on UK corporate boards rises 50% in 5 years

LONDON (AP) — Women now hold more than a third of the seats on the boards of Britain’s biggest companies, meeting a government target set five years ago. The number of women on the boards of directors of Britain’s 350 top publicly traded firms has jumped by more than 50% since 2015, meaning that 34.3% of all board seats are now held by women, an independent panel said in a report published Wednesday. Women hold at least one-third of the board seats at 220 companies, up from 53 five years ago.  While companies met the target for board membership, women still lag behind in the competition for senior executive roles, particularly at smaller firms.