…as 3i breaks glass ceiling
Private equity firm 3i yesterday smashed through the City’s glass ceiling, announcing that it was appointing a female finance director.
Julia Wilson, 41, will join the board at the end of the month to replace the outgoing finance director, Simon Ball.
3i chairman Baroness Sarah Hogg – who is the most powerful woman at a FTSE 100 company – paid tribute to Wilson’s work as deputy finance director at the listed private equity firm and said she was perfect for the job.
“I am delighted that Julia is joining the board. She makes an excellent successor to Simon,” she said.
Wilson joined 3i in 2006 and was charged with responsibility for the group’s finance, taxation and treasury functions. Previously, she spent six years as director of corporate finance at telecoms giant Cable & Wireless.
Wilson’s appointment comes just days after the annual Sex and Power report which raised fears that, after years of progress, the number of women securing senior jobs in the UK had stalled. The report said that the glass ceiling was in danger of turning into a barrier made of “reinforced concrete”.
