Chambers Ireland’s Chief Executive, Ian Talbot, welcomed the release from the CSO’s of the Gender Balance in Business Survey 2023. Speaking after the release was circulated, Ian Talbot, continued: “The significant improvements since 2021, and in particular the increase in both the number of women CEOs, and the number of women who are Chairs of Boards, are particularly welcome. Seeing the number of women-led businesses rise from being only one-in-seven in 2021 to almost one-in-five in 2023 demonstrate how quickly change can happen when businesses and boards prioritise female appointments. “It is also great to see that almost a quarter of businesses have reached a point where 40% of their board members are women.” “However, despite these significant improvements, today’s report also demonstrates how much further we still have to go. For many of the businesses involved, these new appointments will have been a challenge to deliver and will have required many years of effort to develop a culture that was both willing to develop the talent of women within the organisation, and also open to recognising the leadership potential in women from outside the organisation. “This is a battle that needs to be won in every business, if we are to see women rise to their full potential across the labour force and if we are to ensure that their skills and talent are both recognised and employed to their fullest extent. One of the greatest constraints on our economy is the talent that has been overlooked merely because its possessor is a woman, we must not keep making that mistake.”