The boards of technology companies are packed with men in their 50s, according to research by headhunter Norman Broadbent.

Senior consultant Richard Atherton undertook the study, focusing on companies that are members of the FTSE techMARK 100 index. This includes firms such as software supplier Sage. He said: “There has been little attention given to the board composition of techMARK companies, such as demographic variables, remuneration and the gender/ethnicity of board members."

According to Atherton, a typical techMARK 100 board member is male, in his 50s, degree-qualified and almost certainly has an accounting qualification. He will have started his career in accounting or finance and probably has international experience.
TechMARK 100 boards are about two thirds the size of their FTSE 100 equivalents, probably simply reflecting their relative size, complexity and geographical coverage, said the study.

Women are under-represented on the boards of techMARK 100 companies, both in absolute terms and when compared with their counterparts in the FTSE 100 at just under 6% versus 10%.
Non-executive techMARK board members are on average seven years older than their executive counterparts and so more experienced. They also tend to be slightly better educated with a higher preponderance of MScs and PhDs.