Women in Business 2026: The talent war has a new frontline – more candidates are asking ‘where are your female leaders?’
Job candidates aren’t just asking about salary anymore. They increasingly want to see the gender balance data of your senior leadership.
Grant Thornton’s Women in Business 2026 report reveals that 91.9% of mid–market leaders say they personally consider a company’s gender equality initiatives when applying for roles, with two–thirds calling it a priority.
If leaders demand this in their own job searches, candidates at every level increasingly expect the same Transparency.
Indeed, nearly a quarter of mid–market firms report that potential hires have asked about the gender balance of their senior management team or evidence of a commitment to a program that increases or improves gender diversity, during recruitment – a 14.3 percentage point jump from last year. It’s the biggest rise among all external sources requesting this information.
Mid–market businesses are winning talent from larger organisations. Among female senior hires who joined within the past six months, 43.5% came from companies with more than 500 employees – above the long–term average of 38.4%.
Stavros Ioannou, Grant Thornton Cyprus CEO stated: “The competition for talent has fundamentally changed. Today’s candidates are not only evaluating compensation, but they are looking closely at leadership composition, culture and whether advancement is genuinely possible. When organisations make female leadership visible, they send a powerful signal about opportunity, accountability and long– term commitment. Gender–balanced leadership goes beyond reputation: it strengthens decision–making, attracts talent and enhances sustainable growth.”
But visibility matters. When women see leaders who look like them, they believe advancement is possible. When future talent sees gender equality embedded in strategy, they choose to join and stay.
The research shows around two–thirds of recent female senior appointments were internal. Businesses that roll back gender equality initiatives risk losing these leaders and weakening their pipeline. Yet 21.9% of mid–market firms plan to relax, or have already relaxed, some of their gender equality initiatives – a decision that risks losing talent and investment at a time when both are increasingly scarce. The percentage of women in senior management fell 1.1 percentage points to 32.9% globally.
The report urges businesses to increase visibility of gender equality initiatives to unlock opportunity and attract talent.
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About The Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR)
The Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) is the world’s leading survey of mid–market businesses. Launched in 1992, the IBR provides insights into the views and expectations of over 15,000 businesses. The research runs quarterly, interviewing senior leaders within mid–market organisations across 35 economies. Including chief executive officers, managing directors, chairpersons and other senior executives from all industry sectors. Questionnaires are translated into local languages and fieldwork is undertaken through both online and telephone interviews. The findings in this Women in Business 2026 report are drawn from interviews conducted between July and October 2025.
About Grant Thornton (Cyprus) Ltd
Grant Thornton is one of the world’s leading organisations of independent assurance, tax and advisory firms. These firms help dynamic organisations unlock their potential for growth by providing meaningful, actionable advice through a broad range of services. Proactive teams, led by approachable partners in these firms, use insights, experience and instinct to solve complex issues for privately owned, publicly listed and public sector clients. Over 80,000 Grant Thornton people, across 140 markets, are focused on making a difference to clients, colleagues and the communities in which we live and work.
Grant Thornton International is a non–practicing, international umbrella entity organised as a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. References to “Grant Thornton” are to the brand under which the Grant Thornton member firms operate and refer to one or more member firms, as the context requires. Grant Thornton International and the member firms are not a worldwide partnership. Services are delivered independently by member firms, which are not responsible for the services or activities of one another. Grant Thornton International does not provide services to clients.
*All references to Grant Thornton International in the press release and this “Notes to editor” section are to Grant Thornton International Ltd. Grant Thornton International Ltd is a non–practicing, international umbrella entity organized as a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales.
Grant Thornton International is a non–practicing, international umbrella entity organised as a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. References to “Grant Thornton” are to the brand under which the Grant Thornton member firms operate and refer to one or more member firms, as the context requires. Grant Thornton International and the member firms are not a worldwide partnership. Services are delivered independently by member firms, which are not responsible for the services or activities of one another. Grant Thornton International does not provide services to clients.
*All references to Grant Thornton International in the press release and this “Notes to editor” section are to Grant Thornton International Ltd. Grant Thornton International Ltd is a non–practicing, international umbrella entity organized as a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales.
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