Representation of women on music industry boards up 8% on 2020, report finds

Non-profit organisation Women in CTRL has spent the last year analysing the make-up of music industry boards across the UK. 

The key findings are:

• Across the 12 organisations, 42% of board members are women, an increase from 34% on 2020.
• In 2020 9% of Chairs were women, the equivalent of one female chair across the 12 organisations. This figure is now 27%, with three female chairs.
• CEOs remains unchanged at 27%, or three women.

The report also found that the representation of Black women has doubled, but from a very low base - and, there are still no Black women CEOs or Chairs.

The report went on to identify organisations that have employed good practice and increased diversity:

• AIM (Association of Independent Music) – the most improved on board-level gender representation, from 35% to 65%. On ethnicity, it also increased representation of Black women on the board from 6% to 12%. It also elected a female Chair.
• PPL – the second most improved on board-level gender representation, increasing from 6% to 31%. It is the most improved for representation of Black women on the board, from 0% to 13%.
• ISM (Incorporated Society of Musicians) - increased gender representation from 41% to 56% women on the board. It elected a female Chair.
• The Ivors Academy – two directors stepped down to allow for increased diversity on the board. It achieved 50/50 gender balance on the board and elected one Black woman to the board, taking their representation from 0% to 6%.
• FAC (Featured Artists Coalition) - added two observers onto the board ahead of AGM elections to help potential candidates become familiar with the board and to encourage diverse applicants.
• MPG (Music Producers Guild) - increased gender representation on the board from 40% (2) to 60% (3) women.

Nadia Khan, Women in CTRL Founder and Chair of AIM, discusses the latest report findings: 'I commend those organisations that have taken steps towards real change, and it’s promising to see. But our work is far from done, the stats are still stark, and a far way off true equality. True diversity goes beyond female representation to minority groups, disability, socio-economic status, sexual orientation and education.

'Let’s try to fix the system and have real conversations. What is it about the system that doesn’t allow underrepresented groups to reach the top? Why don’t we see more women in Chair or CEO positions? Let’s identify the barriers and work together to break them down.'

For more information on the work of Women in CTRL, click here.