Female leadership roles on the rise in financial services

Average proportion of women on boards is up 2.1% year-over-year to 38.4% in 2025, data from Ireland’s Women in Finance Charter reveals

Cathy Bryce, chair of Ireland’s Women in Finance Charter steering group and MD of Capital Markets at AIB; Robert Troy, Minister of State; Michael McGrath, EU Commissioner, launching the charter’s 2026 Annual Report at the Central Bank.

Female leadership rates are improving across financial services, newly released data from Ireland’s Women in Finance Charter has shown.

In 2025, the average proportion of women on boards of the charter’s signatory firms increased by 2.1% year-over-year to 38.4%. The average proportion of women at executive committee level increased by 3.2% to 34%.

Internal appointments to managerial positions were more gender balanced (51% female share) than external appointments (44%).

Cathy Bryce, chair of the Women in Finance Charter steering group, said: “The publication of this report is an important moment, but we recognise that the sustained effort of both industry and Government is vital throughout the year to deliver on these ambitions. I look forward to working with signatories, industry and the public sector to drive further success in the months ahead.” 

Ireland’s Women in Finance Charter is in its fifth year, and this marks the fourth annual report. There are now 104 signatories, representing a wide range of firms in the financial sector.

Ireland’s Women in Finance Charter is a joint industry-government initiative launched in 2022. Part of the government’s Ireland for Finance Strategy, the charter seeks to improve female representation in financial services.

Banking & Payments Federation of Ireland (BPFI), Insurance Ireland, Financial Services Ireland (FSI) and Irish Funds are founding members and alongside Brokers Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, provide operational and communications support for the Charter’s signatories.

In total, 99 firms contributed to the 2026 annual report, representing more than 71,000 employees, with women making up ~51% of those workers.