Women CEOs jump by quarter The data, based on interviews with over 13,000 senior managers in the first halves of 2011 and 2012, shows there has also been a small rise in the number of women in second-level senior roles, such as director, chief finance officer and chief marketing officer. Anthony Cooper, managing director of Pearfinders, the information trends consultancy that carried out the research, said there has been a "noticeable improvement" in the number of women at the top in the UK, suggesting organisations are taking it into their own hands to improve diversity in the workplace. Over the past year, the number of FTSE 100 female board-level appointments has risen by a third, but equality campaigners say the pace of change is too slow. The Pearlfinders data shows progress to boost equality is being made across UK companies - not just the FTSE 100. The latest official figures show women make up 16.7pc of all board posts in the FTSE 100, up from 12.5pc a year ago. The increase follows the introduction of targets by Lord Davies, the former trade minister, last year to boost the number of women sitting around the top table, in an attempt to increase diversity at the top. FTSE 100 companies have been given the voluntary target of increasing female board representation to 25pc by 2015. If they do not show sufficient progress, the UK faces the threat of mandatory quotas from the EU; something business - and asipiring women leaders - have been keen to avoid. The European commission has proposed to legally enforce quotas for women in the boardrooms of major companies - which critics have argued would "patronise" women. Mr Cooper said: "We expect HR directors to prioritise increasing the number of female board members. In the sectors where the gender disparity is greatest, we anticipate increased investment in talent management. Companies will no doubt encounter challenges around corporate culture and engagement and will need to ensure that training and rewards structures do not stunt female employees' performance and progression. Charity, law and retail are among the sectors with the highest proportion of women in senior management roles, while manufacturing and motoring lag behind, with fewer than a fifth of senior positions taken up by women, the figures showed.