Forty-nine per cent of CEOs in Thailand are women, which is the highest proportion in the world, the new Grant Thornton International Business Report released on March 8, the International Women’s Day 2013, revealed.

This is far above the global ratio of 24 per cent of senior management roles filled by women, which is up from 21 per cent in 2012 and 20 per cent in 2011.

While Thailand tops the female CEO list, it ranks 36 per cent with regards to senior management positions filled by women. In general, ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific regions are ahead of the global average with 32 and 29 per cent female proportions, respectively. Vietnam and the Philippines are in the top 10, with 37 per cent of senior posts in the Philippines are held by women, down by two percentage points from 2012.

The G7 economies come bottom of the league table with just 21 per cent of senior roles occupied by women. This compares to 28 per cent in the BRIC economies and a remarkable 40 per cent in the Baltic states.

Japan is the worst performer with just 7 per cent of senior roles occupied by women, the UK (19 per cent) and the USA (20 per cent) are within the bottom eight countries for women in senior management. In contrast, top of the table for women in senior management – not only CEOs – is China, with 51 per cent.

The report also revealed the proportion of women in senior positions is markedly different across sectors. More than double the number of positions in the global healthcare sector are occupied by women than in construction or mining. The most popular top management position for women is chief financial officer, while chief information officer is the least.

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