What: The LEAD Network Gender Diversity Scorecard 2025 reveals that women now hold 39% of senior executive roles in European retail and CPG, with progress varying across sectors and functions.

Why it is important:  The findings highlight the ongoing challenge of translating boardroom diversity into executive leadership, reinforcing the need for systemic change to unlock business value.

The LEAD Network Gender Diversity Scorecard 2025 provides a comprehensive snapshot of gender diversity in senior executive roles across the European retail and consumer goods sector. Women now occupy 39% of these positions, marking a modest but positive shift from previous years. While consumer-packaged goods companies are outperforming the sector average with 42% female representation, retail lags behind, and certain functions, such as IT and general management, have seen declines. The report underscores that women, despite making up half the workforce and driving most consumer purchasing decisions, remain underrepresented at the highest levels of leadership. This underrepresentation not only limits individual career growth but also constrains innovation and long-term sustainability for the sector. The Scorecard, unique in its sector-specific benchmarking, serves as both a pulse check and a call to action, urging companies to move beyond isolated DEI programmes and embed inclusion into core business strategies. Case studies from leading companies demonstrate that systemic, data-driven approaches can yield measurable progress, but the overall pace of change remains slow, highlighting the urgent need for deeper transformation

IADS Notes: The Scorecard’s findings are reinforced by recent industry analyses. In March 2025, Retail Week reported that while FTSE 350 retailers achieved 42% female board representation, only half met the 40% target for women in leadership, illustrating the persistent gap between boardroom and executive roles. The Economist’s glass-ceiling index from March 2025 highlights similar challenges across OECD countries, with women’s leadership and pay gaps persisting despite their economic influence. LEADNetwork’s February 2025 report quantifies the business case for inclusion, estimating a $3.7 trillion global profit opportunity, while Drapers and Seramount in early 2025 emphasize that embedding inclusion into business strategy is key to innovation and long-term success.

Gender Diversity Scorecard Insights Report 2025