Plenty of room for women at the top in retail

A Swedish retail giant that excels in fast-fashion is also a leader when it comes to breaking the glass ceiling. But a U.S. merchant is not that far behind.



Women hold 58% of the board seats at H&M and account for 41% of its executive leadership team, according to a report by research group LedBetter. The retailer tops the LedBetter Gender Equality Index, which ranks 230 global companies according to equality in leadership. The group scored each company out of 100 based on the percent of women in the boardroom and the C-suite. (The LedBetter ranking is made up of companies in the Fortune 100 and Forbes’ Most Valuable Brands list.)



The average Index score is 20.9, meaning female representation 0n the board and executive teams of these companies averages 20.9%. By contrast, H&M had score of 49.8.



Gap Inc., at #3, is the highest-scoring U.S. company, with an overall score of 46.8. Women make up 36% of Gap’s board and 57% of its executive leadership team.



Women are starting to make strides in the board room and C-suite, particularly at European-based companies, many of which have, or are about to set, quotas to drive parity. But they still have a long way to go: Just nine companies on the list had women in at least 40% of board and C-suite roles.



In addition to Gap, the following other U.S. retailers made the top 25:



• Best Buy ranked fifth, with a score of 45.5. Women make up 36% of its board and 55% of its executive leadership team.



• Target ranked ninth, with a score of 40.6. Women make up 36% of its board and 45% of its leadership team.



• Macy’s, #21, had a score of 34.2. Women make up 40% of its board and 29% of its leadership team.



• Pier I, ranked #22, had a score of 22. Women make up 44% of its board and 22% of its leadership team.



Other U.S. merchants that made the top 100 included:



• Dollar General (#29, with a score of 31.3);

• Walgreens Boots Alliance (#34, score of 30);

• CVS Health (#40, score of 29.2);

• Walmart (#58, score of 27.2);

• Kroger (#69, score of 26);

• Staples (70, score of 25.8);

• Sears Holdings (#98, score of 22.5)



Click here to see the complete list.