• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Bars, bowling alleys, and movie theaters cost too much to run and visit. Americans have run out of places to hang out and we're paying with our health

2

Sam Altman says a 'cool use case' for ChatGPT is a daily AI podcast about your kids. The replies were brutal

3

Electric air taxis are finally ready for takeoff

1

Bars, bowling alleys, and movie theaters cost too much to run and visit. Americans have run out of places to hang out and we're paying with our health

2

Sam Altman says a 'cool use case' for ChatGPT is a daily AI podcast about your kids. The replies were brutal

3

Electric air taxis are finally ready for takeoff
MPWMost Powerful Women

Exclusive: Women Bring More Tech Expertise to the Boardroom Than Men Do

By
Valentina Zarya
Valentina Zarya
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Valentina Zarya
Valentina Zarya
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 31, 2016, 7:30 AM ET
Business people talking in meeting
Photograph by John Wildgoose—Getty Images/Caiaimage
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

If you want a director with plenty of tech experience on your board, hire a woman.

According to new Accenture research, female members of corporate boards are nearly twice as likely as their male counterparts to have professional technology experience, which the study defined as either holding a key tech position at a previous employer—such as CTO or CIO—or having senior-level responsibility at a technology firm.

Accenture looked at women’s representation on the boards of more than 500 Forbes Global 2000 companies in 39 countries across Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Australia. Overall, 16% of the women on these companies boards have digital experience, vs. 9% of men.

Breaking down those numbers by country, the trend toward women being more likely to have a tech background held true for seven of the ten countries in the study. In the U.S., 26% of female board members have tech experience, vs. 17% of men. In the U.K. and Australia, the difference is even more drastic: 18% vs. 9% and 14% vs. 4%, respectively.

One notable exception is Canada, where 8% of male board members have tech experience, vs. 4% of women.

Subscribe to the Broadsheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the world’s most powerful women.

The depth of directors’ technology experience also varies by industry. As might be expected, board members of tech companies are the most likely to have tech backgrounds, with 51% of female and 37% of male directors professionally versed in technology. Members of communications company boards were also quite digitally savvy, with 29% of women and 18% having held senior technology roles.

This study helps to debunk the commonly held belief that the paucity of female directors—women held one in every five board seats at S&P 500 companies last year—is due to a lack of qualified women.

“As technology disrupts virtually every industry, companies need to think more broadly about the type of skills and experience needed for their boards, including getting more technology acumen into the boardroom. At the same time, they need to stay focused on gender diversity, since organizations with diversity at the board level perform better,” said Roxanne Taylor, Accenture’s chief marketing and communications officer, in a statement shared exclusively with Fortune.

Companies with a high representation of women on their boards tend to have better financial performance, on average, than those with the lowest representation of women board directors, according to Catalyst, a research group that tracks executive women.

“It’s clear that more and more jobs—up to and including the board level—will require technology skills,” added Taylor. “With the number of women pursuing computer science degrees hovering around 20 percent, we need to find new ways to get women excited about technology as early as possible.”

About the Author
By Valentina Zarya
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in MPW

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in MPW

Most billionaires are stuck in ‘slow philanthropy.’ MacKenzie Scott gave away $26 billion and won’t stop until ‘the safe is empty’
SuccessMacKenzie Scott
Most billionaires are stuck in ‘slow philanthropy.’ MacKenzie Scott gave away $26 billion and won’t stop until ‘the safe is empty’
By Sydney LakeAugust 2, 2026
2 days ago
A person walks alone in a public plaza
North Americapublic policy
Bars, bowling alleys, and movie theaters cost too much to run and visit. Americans have run out of places to hang out and we’re paying with our health
By Catherina GioinoAugust 2, 2026
2 days ago
n
North AmericaTaxes
Gavin Newsom has been earning up to $2 million per year since 2022, records show
By Sophie Austin and The Associated PressAugust 1, 2026
3 days ago
israel
North AmericaIsrael
Most Jewish Americans under 45 get the ick from Israel, polling shows
By Giovanna Dell'Orto and The Associated PressJuly 31, 2026
4 days ago
Meet the jet-setting fashion editor who turned a New York manicure at 23 into Nails.Inc—Despite selling for $40 million, she still wakes at 5:45 a.m.
SuccessFortune The Good Life
Meet the jet-setting fashion editor who turned a New York manicure at 23 into Nails.Inc—Despite selling for $40 million, she still wakes at 5:45 a.m.
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 31, 2026
4 days ago
Elevance Health’s CEO started her career as a pro basketball player. Now she’s the highest‑ranking woman on the Global 500, leading a $199B giant
C-SuiteSports
Elevance Health’s CEO started her career as a pro basketball player. Now she’s the highest‑ranking woman on the Global 500, leading a $199B giant
By Sarah GlodekJuly 31, 2026
4 days ago

Most Popular

Bars, bowling alleys, and movie theaters cost too much to run and visit. Americans have run out of places to hang out and we're paying with our health
North America
Bars, bowling alleys, and movie theaters cost too much to run and visit. Americans have run out of places to hang out and we're paying with our health
By Catherina GioinoAugust 2, 2026
2 days ago
Sam Altman says a 'cool use case' for ChatGPT is a daily AI podcast about your kids. The replies were brutal
AI
Sam Altman says a 'cool use case' for ChatGPT is a daily AI podcast about your kids. The replies were brutal
By Holly Van Leuven and Morning BrewAugust 3, 2026
18 hours ago
Electric air taxis are finally ready for takeoff
Magazine
Electric air taxis are finally ready for takeoff
By Alexei OreskovicAugust 3, 2026
23 hours ago
The labor market could become so backward that the economy will have to shed jobs to keep unemployment steady
Economy
The labor market could become so backward that the economy will have to shed jobs to keep unemployment steady
By Jason MaAugust 1, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of August 3, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of August 3, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerAugust 3, 2026
19 hours ago
He was homeless at 16. Now he sits on the board of David Beckham's wellness company and his business is about to hit $1 billion in revenue
Success
He was homeless at 16. Now he sits on the board of David Beckham's wellness company and his business is about to hit $1 billion in revenue
By Emma BurleighAugust 2, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.