Talent, not quotas, is the way forward

Lord Davies' argument that there should be more women in the boardroom of UK plc will strike a chord with many, and will irritate others to high heaven.

It does seem strange that women make up more than half the UK's working population but are massively under-represented among the top echelon of business.

There is talk of merit and of quotas. The latter will intensely annoy those who abhor interference in the talent order of things, just as it will bug those who don't think a woman's place is in the boardroom at all and for whom the idea of one being foisted on them in the cause of political correctness is evidence of a society gone mad.

Looking round the various pub industry events I've attended over the years one can't escape the evidence that it is a male-dominated environment.

Most, if not all, of the country's pubcos are helmed by men. Most of the senior operational roles are held by blokes, and so it continues down throughout an organisation until you get to things like marketing and personnel. I can think of only one female pubco boss - Trust Inn's Lynne D'Arcy - and then there's The Publican​'s very own editor, Caroline Nodder. But they are few and far between.

Also - at the risk of sounding like Viz​'s Sid The Sexist - ask many men why they frequent a certain pub and the answer is often an attractive woman serving behind the bar. "Phwoar!", as Sid would probably say.

But the industry is changing. There may only be seven women on the boards of the UK's top listed pubcos, but modern thinking, plus the gradual demise of the Old Way Of Doing Things™, will mean that talented people, whatever their sex, will have an equal chance of ascending the corporate ladder.

Women should be better represented in companies trying to attract more of the same into their pubs. Opportunity should be an open door to those best suited to the job, regardless of gender.

Recognising talent, not implementing quotas, is the answer to increasing the number of women in board rooms. Let's just hope sexist attitudes to women in the sector become a thing of the past, asap…