The share of women on the boards of large UK companies has barely budged in the past two years, rising just 0.1 percentage points to 11.5 per cent, according to a survey by the European Professional Women’s Network and the Egon Zehnder recruiting firm.

By contrast, female representation on Scandanavian boards has jumped to 29 per cent from 23 per cent two years ago, led by Norway, where a government mandate has prompted large companies to appoint women to 44 per cent of board seats.