Women Four Times More Likely to Hold CFO or HR Roles Than CEO Positions in Ireland
All‑male leadership teams fall sharply from 16.3% to just 6.9%, but women remain four times more likely to be CFO or HR Director than CEO.
DUBLIN, Wednesday 4th March, 2026- Grant Thornton’s Women in Business 2026 report reveals that Ireland continues to make strong progress on gender diversity in senior leadership, but major challenges remain, particularly for women aspiring to CEO roles.
Representation of women in senior management roles in Ireland has risen to 41.4%, up almost 5% since 2025 (36.5%) and ahead of the global average at 32.9%. Medium sized companies in Ireland have also shown the most significant long-term improvement of any of the countries included in the research since the study began in 2004, when women accounted for just 15.6% of senior leaders here. The percentage of Irish businesses with no women at all in senior management has also dropped dramatically, falling from one in seven (16.3%) in 2025 to less than one in ten (6.9%) in 2026.
Women still clustered in certain leadership roles
Despite the positive trends, the report highlights a persistent imbalance: women are still far more likely to hold roles in certain functions rather than reach CEO or Chair positions. Women in Ireland are four times more likely to be a CFO (63.7%) or HR Director (58.8%) than a CEO (14.7%), and 30 times more likely to hold these roles than to become a Chair (2.0%).
Gender balance importance to prospective and existing employees
The study also found that female representation among a company’s senior ranks is a major influence on recruitment and talent retention, with one in seven businesses reporting that prospective employees have either asked what the gender balance is of the company’s senior management or for evidence of commitments to bring about gender equality. Similarly, half (49.3%) of staff felt more treated equally at work due to gender equality strategies being in place.
Commenting on this year’s research, Amanda Ward, Co-head of Consulting at Grant Thornton, said:
“It's encouraging to see Ireland not only outpacing global trends but also significantly reducing the number of all‑male leadership teams. The progress is undeniable. But the data also shows that women continue to be heavily represented in specific leadership roles while underrepresented in CEO or Chair positions. The true long-term sign of progress will ultimately be if women are equally able to land the top job.
The research shows that gender diversity is not a box-ticking exercise. Prospective employees are increasingly asking about the gender balance of senior leadership teams and looking for tangible evidence of equality commitments before accepting roles. Businesses that embed meaningful gender equality strategies are not only strengthening decision-making at the top but also positioning themselves for long-term success.”
Steve Tennant, Managing Partner, Grant Thornton Ireland and EMEA CEO of the Grant Thornton Advisors multinational platform, added:
“We see this every day in our own business and across our client base: diverse leadership teams lead to stronger governance, better decision‑making and improved performance. Expectations have moved on — customers, investors and talent increasingly judge firms on the seriousness of their commitment to gender diversity. This isn’t optional. Organisations that fail to act will fall behind. While the progress made so far is encouraging, we need to keep the momentum going if we are to finally and decisively break the glass ceiling.”
ENDS
Note to editors:
The Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) is the world’s leading survey of mid-market businesses. Launched in 1992, the IBR provides insights into the views and expectations of over 14,000 businesses annually across 35 economies, including Ireland. The research runs quarterly, interviewing senior leaders within mid-market organisations, including chief executive officers, managing directors, chairpersons and other senior executives from all industry sectors. Questionnaires are translated into local languages and fieldwork is undertaken through both online and telephone interviews.
The findings in this Women in Business 2026 report are drawn from interviews conducted between July and October 2025, including over 100 Irish businesses.