By Jessica DiNapoli
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Citigroup Inc’s
It was 1972 when the Washington Post, then a Fortune 500 company, named Katherine Graham as its CEO. While progress for female leaders has been slow, 36 of the Fortune 500 companies are now run by women, including automaker General Motors Co
The male-dominated financial services industry has fared poorly. Even beyond the major banks, only four of the 200 largest public U.S. financial services companies – Synchrony Financial
“These are really positions that women have not pursued because of the work-life balance. We have seen years and years of struggle for women who have to choose,” said Charlotte Laurent-Ottomane, executive director of the Thirty Percent Coalition, which encourages diversity in corporate boardrooms.
CEO candidates typically come from roles in finance, operations or running a business line, where there are few women leaders, according to a study from accounting and consulting firm Deloitte.
Women have higher representation in roles that historically have not been heavily recruited for the top job, such as in legal or human resources departments, according to the study.
Fraser, 53, has been a rising star in the financial industry, with a career that spans investment banking, wealth management, troubled mortgage workouts and strategy in Latin America – a key business for Citigroup. She was being groomed for the top job after she was elevated to Citigroup president last year.
Among the Citigroup board directors who tapped Fraser as CEO, 8 of 17 are women, compared to about a quarter at most other U.S. banks.
(Reporting by Jessica DiNapoli in New York; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
