Message from the Editor

Welcome to the 2025 edition of the Women’s Report!

This year’s Women’s Report is sporting a brand new jacket — personal interviews with experts on the topic of women’s representation on boards. I had fascinating and insightful one-on-one conversations with Mari Teigen, Professor at the Institute of Research in Norway, Nadia Mans-Kemp, Associate Professor in the Department of Business Management of Stellenbosch University, together with Suzette Viviers, Professor in the Department of Business Management, also at Stellenbosch University, and, finally, with Anthony Miller, Chief Co-ordinator of the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges initiative.

We delve into the reasons why women’s board representation worldwide has not been realised, together with the myriad complex reasons for the lack of organic growth in their representation.

Our experts also home in on concerning practices that have reared their head under the guise of promoting women’s board representation, such as over-boarding of select women and ‘femwashing’ purely for the sake of polishing the company’s image and reporting on compliance. The interviews also take a closer look at methods of responsibly furthering women’s representation on boards, including the polemic surrounding quotas versus targets.

Enjoy the 2025 edition of the Women’s Report!
Anita Bosch

Prof. Anita Bosch

Women’s Report Editor

Anita holds the Stellenbosch Business School Research Chair dedicated to the study of women at work. She has a PhD from the School of Management of the University of Southampton (UK) and is a professor at the Business School, where she teaches in the organisational behaviour and leadership tracks.

She is the editor of the annual Women’s Report and has published numerous public reports, articles, and book chapters on diversity and women’s issues. Anita regularly engages in public forums such as print, online and broadcast media.

Behind the scenes

Magic truly happens when you combine talent and hard work. Two professionals have journeyed with the Women’s Report — meticulously delivering functional art and wordsmith skill for more than a decade. They invest a lot of themselves to deliver the best to their clients.

Thank you to Teresa Kapp, dedicated and meticulous Specialist Language Editor, and Graphic Designer Mrs Smith for your commitment to delivering a world-class offering.