These companies "have taken a head start in anticipating this evolution", underlined Jennifer Flock, director Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Heidrick Consulting, during the presentation Wednesday of a study on the diversity within the index of reference SBF 120, which includes the 40 largest French companies in the CAC 40.
It would take more than 200 women to access management positions within these companies to reach a representation quota of 40% (out of 1,347 positions within the executive committees), according to calculations by Heidrick & Struggles based on figures from at the end of 2021, 78 among CAC 40 companies.
Ten years after the adoption of the Copé-Zimmermann law, which imposed 40% of women on boards of directors, the Rixain law adopted in mid-December plans to establish a representation quota among senior executives and members of administrative bodies. female managers of companies with at least 1,000 employees: at least 30% women in 2027, and 40% in 2030.
The firm does not fail to note that among "accelerators", a nickname given to companies that have already reached the thresholds of the law, the fact of being led by a woman "has an impact".
"Among the most advanced companies, with already 40% of women on the executive committee, six of them are led by a woman", namely Europcar, Eutelsat, Gecina, Maisons du Monde, Nexity and Sodexo, noted Hervé Borensztejn , from Heidrick Consulting.
Four women manage or are about to arrive at the management of CAC 40 companies, at Engie, Veolia, Suez, Orange.
These last three recent appointments were not taken into account in the study.
It should be noted, however, that within the executive committees, nearly two-thirds (68%) of women occupy functional positions, at the head of the marketing, human resources or legal departments, while operational positions are occupied by 86%. by men.
“If we were a little critical of that, it looks like we are starting to observe two-speed executive committees”, regrets Hervé Borensztejn.
© 2022 AFP