Pure Resourcing Solutions (Pure), a leading recruitment agency in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich and Norwich, has been encouraging professionals across the region to debate the issue of gender diversity in senior level jobs.

The evidence in favour of more women on boards is extremely strong. Mixed boards tend to be more collaborative and creative when it comes to problem solving; they make better decisions and consider how a business issue could impact people as well as the bottom line.

However, the latest Cranfield Female FTSE Board Report claims that progress in recruiting women at board level is stalling;  the target of one in four women on FTSE 100 boards by 2015 may be at risk. It also shows that in the six months running up to March 2013, previous headway in getting more female representation on FTSE boards had slowed down, triggering concern over quotas recommended by the EU.

 This suggests that more encouragement of gender diversity among businesses of all sizes is urgently needed if the economy is to benefit.

Lynn Walters, Director of Pure, and Lynette Allen, Co-founder and Managing Director of Her Invitation Ltd, a company dedicated to supporting women in leadership positions, led Pure’s recent ‘Gender Diversity at Board Level’ seminars to address the business case for more women in senior roles.

Both male and female professionals attended the seminars to discuss how women can continue their careers, which are often prematurely blighted by lack of flexible working options or a lack of confidence among women that they cannot manage a senior level role alongside family life.

Advice on how women can overcome obstacles to reach senior jobs can be read in Lynn Walters’s recent opinion piece in the Cambridge Evening News.