The Right Age to be a Director

This study examines the difficulties both men and women face in landing board roles as their age increases. It includes data on 42,608 individuals leading 5,944 public companies in the US and UK. The analysis focused on the age of appointment for all director roles including Executive director, CEO, Independent director, and Chair.

• With the exception of non-executive positions, women continue to be poorly represented in these appointments at all ages.
• The Majority of Board Roles Held by Women are as Non-Executive Directors. In the US and UK, Non-executive director roles deliver the most gender balance of all board roles. 93% of US and 82% of UK board positions held by women are as Non-executive directors.
• A recent analysis of all public companies in the UK within BoardEx show the age range for women being appointed to a Non-executive director role spans 49 years with a majority of appointments happening between the ages of 42 and 57.
• Men seeking out Non-executive director roles in the UK should know that the age range for appointments span 65 years but most happen between the ages of 42-65.