The lack of women in Britain’s boardrooms is holding back the country’s economic recovery, David Cameron, the UK prime minister, pronounced last week at a summit in Stockholm.

I’m a fan of Sheryl Sandberg – the COO of Facebook and much of the reason that, coming into its IPO, the company is valued at up to $100 billion.

Let’s face it, Mark Zuckerberg might have had a great idea – but he didn’t know how to turn it into a great company. Sandberg did and that’s exactly what she accomplished. She took the concept and turned it into a juggernaut.

A lot of how she did so was by looking for, at and to women – within the company and in its partnerships with advertisers and other revenue-generating relationships.

I was interviewed for an article in New Street Journal.com a few weeks ago and I'm pleased to say that the article is out today. It reveals five secrets of success for women in Asia. They apply to westerners trying to find their way in a new culture, as well as to locals aiming to move up the career ladder.

Good progress for diversity today. From October next year listed companies will have to report annually on their boardroom diversity policy, and progress against targets, or explain non-compliance.

In my role across boardrooms of businesses in the UK and the USA I am fortunate to meet some strong, dynamic and uniquely talented women. Last week I had the pleasure of meeting a brilliant fund manager, who has created an investment fund targeted at female owned high growth businesses. She is transforming those businesses through the funding she enables.

And to support the point in my earlier blog about women's contribution to profits...

New research  by the law firm Eversheds, out yesterday, shows that the best performing companies globally have smaller boards and a high proportion of female directors. Read more here. http://www.cityam.com/news-and-analysis/women-board-members-lift-share-prices

If you've forgotten why we still need an International Women's Day, please read this article by Mariella Frostrup, a TV presenter and Observer newspaper columnist. Some reminders are:

Lord Davies, who today published his independent review into Women on Boards, stopped short of imposing quotas, but has urged FTSE 350 companies to set their own targets for female representation at board level, and to publicly report these targets. 

He recommends that UK listed companies in the FTSE 100 should be aiming for a minimum of 25% female board member representation by 2015 (and 20% in the next two years). That's more than double the number of women currently on boards. But he stopped short of imposing quotas, unless these voluntary measures fail.

Lord Davies, a former business minister, was asked by Vince Cable, the business secretary, to look for ways to boost gender equality in UK boardrooms. In the UK only 12.5% of directors in FTSE100 companies are women, and there has been no significant improvement in the last 3 years.

The secret of successful women is femininity, according to new research. Those with an aggressive approach are less likely to win promotion. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1348729/Why-acting-like-man-work-wont-promoted-work.html 

Members and Friends of Women in Banking & Finance….

The Department of Business Innovation and Skills has launched a consultation looking at why there is gender inequality on the boards of listed companies in the UK. The consultation closes on 30 November.

The launch of CIMA’s new Reflections from Asia Pacific leaders report in Kuala Lumpur’s plush Mandarin Oriental Hotel was a suitably grand affair.

Female finance professionals are six times less likely than men to make it to the top, according to our latest research. So why are women still under-represented at the top, especially when it has been proven that having women in senior roles is linked to stronger financial performance of organisations?

Join me talking about 'Pay and prospects — the big issues for women in finance'? 24 September, 1pm—4pm on Guardian Careers

Hello all,

In our new website section at www.cimaglobal.com/women, we'll shortly be launching a report called Breaking glass: strategies for tomorrow's leaders, which sees successful CIMA female business leaders share their secrets about how to overcome barriers and reach the top. It's designed to provide inspiration, encouragement and practical advice for future leaders – both male and female.

I'm sure most are aware of the challanges women (and in many case men) face balancing work and family demands. So what can be done to help support women in the workplace and to ensure they continue to rise up the career ladder even when they have dependants?

Is it about educating employers and recruiters about the  business case for women in the workplace (especially at decision making and strategic levels)?

Is it about creating quotas for a minimum % of women on the Board?

Doreen Toben, who spent seven years as CFO of the $97 billion communications giant Verizon Communications, recently told CFO Magazine that "women in finance are in an entirely different spot now. From where we were 20 years ago, we've made great progress. But in the last five years or so, it's been very stagnant."