Women CFOs consistently exceed industry benchmarks despite holding less than 25% of CFO roles in Global Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies. A Onestream study called “The Glass Chair” says public companies led by women CFOs across the United States and Europe deliver an annualized shareholder return of 4.5%, slightly higher than average. There’s more: Underperforming companies with women CFOs have an average 10% increase. The study stops short of saying women CEOs outperform men but notes that women often receive leadership roles in times of crisis and must overcome more obstacles to reach CFO status. On average, it takes women three years longer to reach the CFO role, “resulting in them arriving with broader skills and stronger cross-functional expertise.”
