Singapore boards notch 10% rise in women leaders in 2025

Women accounted for 25.8% of board positions at the Top 100 SGX primary-listed firms.

Women made up 10% of board chairs at the Top 100 SGX primary-listed companies in 2025, up from 8% a year earlier, according to the Council for Board Diversity (CBD).

The council said the increase reflects a rise in women taking on leadership positions on boards, including roles linked to setting agendas and overseeing governance and decision-making.

The CBD’s annual report covers more than 1,300 organisations, including Singapore-listed companies, statutory boards, and Institutions of a Public Character (IPCs).

Data as of December 2025 showed that the share of board seats held by women continued to increase across sectors.

Women accounted for 25.8% of board positions at the Top 100 SGX primary-listed firms, up 0.7 percentage points from 2024 and more than 18 percentage points higher than in 2013.

The figure exceeded the CBD’s target of 25% female board representation by the end of 2025.

From 2021 to 2025, more than 1,200 people, including 181 in 2025, received their first board appointments at SGX-listed companies, broadening the pool of directors.

During the same period, the share of women amongst unique directors rose to 19.1% across SGX-listed firms and to 25.6% amongst the Top 100 companies.

Average board appointments per woman director remained unchanged at 1.2, suggesting the increase came from a larger group of women joining boards rather than repeated appointments of the same individuals.

“As organisations confront increasingly complex challenges, a wider, more diverse pool of board-ready candidates strengthens outcomes for the future,” said Gan Seow Kee, co-chair of CBD and chairman of Singapore LNG Corporation Pte Ltd.

The report added that board gender diversity is continuing to improve in the public and non-profit sectors, whilst women’s representation on boards at the Top 100 SGX-listed companies is projected to exceed 30% by 2030.