© Copyright Acquisition International 2026 - All Rights Reserved.

Article Image - The UK Cities with the Most Female Leaders
Posted 16th October 2023

The UK Cities with the Most Female Leaders

A recent study, carried out by Instant Offices provides an in-depth look into the landscape of female leadership throughout the UK. The focus of this analysis spans various dimensions such as location, age, and industry sectors.

Mouse Scroll AnimationScroll to keep reading

Let us help promote your business to a wider following.

The UK Cities with the Most Female Leaders

Young business woman looking at the camera with her colleagues on the background

Manchester, Birmingham & Bristol in Top 10 UK Cities Championing the Surge in Female Leaders!    

  • The UK has witnessed a remarkable 150% surge in female leadership positions. 
  • London leads the way with 32,854 female leaders, followed distantly by Manchester at 3,269. 
  • Real estate emerges as the top industry for female leaders, showing a staggering 147% growth in female leadership since 2018-2019. 

A recent study, carried out by Instant Offices provides an in-depth look into the landscape of female leadership throughout the UK. The focus of this analysis spans various dimensions such as location, age, and industry sectors. The results not only spotlight the current scenario but also gauge the trajectory in the representation of female leadership. 

Instant Offices, as a pioneering entity in the flexible workspace solution sector, remains committed to facilitating businesses with updated data-driven insights. With its comprehensive analysis, Instant Offices aids businesses in navigating the ever-evolving workspace landscape. 

Cities Making Strides:

Leading the pack, London emerges as the paramount hub for female leaders, with a total count of 32,854. This count dwarfs the second-placed Manchester, which hosts 3,269 female leaders. A unique trend surfaces in London where a significant majority of leadership roles are held by the younger demographic aged 18-25. As we traverse the length and breadth of the UK, older demographics are more prevalent in leadership roles, signifying the capital’s distinctive appeal to younger leaders. 

Top 10 cities with the most female leaders

London 32,854
Manchester 3,269
Birmingham 2,516
Bristol 1,582
Leeds 1,548
Nottingham 1,539
Leicester 1,252
Liverpool 1,246
Cardiff 1,226
Sheffield 1,056

Age & Leadership:

The age distribution among female leaders paints a vivid picture. Women aged between 31 and 40 are leading the pack, holding the highest number of leadership positions. On the contrary, those between 18-25 hold fewer positions. It’s also noteworthy that a decline in leadership roles can be observed among women over 40 – a trend potentially influenced by women stepping back from the workforce in their later years.

Number of female leadership positions by age

18-25 4,240
25-30 13,072
31-40 26,615
41-50 20,676
50+ 17,411

Industries Pioneering Change:

Entrepreneurship emerges as a significant catalyst, propelling more women into leadership roles. The real estate industry champions this cause with a total of 19,984 positions held by women. This represents a breathtaking 147% increase from the numbers observed in the years 2018-2019. Furthermore, industries like retail & beauty and business support services have also showcased significant growth in female leadership, proving that a holistic shift towards inclusive leadership isn’t just a hope but a reality. 

Top 10 industries with the most female leaders

Letting/operating personal real estate 8736
Buying/selling of personal real estate 7872
Mail order & online retail 6765
Management or consultancy 6709
Business support services 4530
Other service activities 3951
Activities for holding companies 3487
Hairdressing and other beauty treatment 3167
Dormant Company 2997
Health & Wellbeing 2867

This comprehensive data not only highlights the current trends but also underscores a promising uptrend in the representation of female leadership across various industries and cities in the UK. With such encouraging statistics, the prospects for aspiring female leaders in the UK shine brighter than ever. 

Categories: Leadership, News


You Might Also Like
Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Litigation Experts  on the Case
Finance
26/06/2017Litigation Experts on the Case

Beyerlein Attorneys is a Mannheim-based law-firm, highly specialised in Intellectual Property (IP), life sciences and complex litigation. As part of the Leading Advisor 2017 awards, the firm and Thorsten Beyerlein were delighted to receive the esteemed Leading

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Expanding Your Business Through Acquisition Financing
News
26/04/2024Expanding Your Business Through Acquisition Financing

Expanding a business often entails acquiring another company. This ambitious move, however, requires careful financial planning as well as a deep dive into full standby seller financing and other strategies. For businesses, big or small, pondering an

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Pandora to Acquire Key Assets from Rdio
Innovation
17/11/2015Pandora to Acquire Key Assets from Rdio

Adding technology, IP and talent to accelerate development of new capabilities.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Baker & McKenzie Advise During Walmark’s Acquisition of Pneumolan
Legal
20/08/2015Baker & McKenzie Advise During Walmark’s Acquisition of Pneumolan

Baker & McKenzie Advise During Walmark's Acquisition of Pneumolan

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Building The Roads Of The Future
Innovation
19/01/2021Building The Roads Of The Future

Construction is perhaps something that many of us take for granted every single day. Without it, we wouldn’t have buildings to work in or homes to return to after a long day’s work. Civil construction contractors also have a lot to live up to, delivering o

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
What is harder: accounting or finance?
News
26/01/2022What is harder: accounting or finance?

The career paths that you can join on the basis of a finance degree or an accounting degree can both be rewarding and lucrative with a great deal of job security, so if you are torn between which one you should be studying, the determination could come down to

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
The First Week Behind the Wheel: Onboarding Delivery Drivers Without Increasing Risk
Legal
29/01/2026The First Week Behind the Wheel: Onboarding Delivery Drivers Without Increasing Risk

On the first day of a new job, a delivery driver’s expectations are clear: complete the route, represent the brand well, and return the vehicle in good condition. When looking at expectations in more specific situations, those expectations are no longer

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
EXPEN International Tech Transactions Advisory of the Year 2017
Innovation
01/08/2017EXPEN International Tech Transactions Advisory of the Year 2017

EXPEN International Tech Transactions Advisory of the Year 2017

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
2016 First Quarter Update – Haviaras & Philippou
Innovation
08/06/20162016 First Quarter Update – Haviaras & Philippou

Based in Cyprus, Haviaras & Philippou L.L.C. are a highly regarded law firm who have built their reputation through consistently providing outstanding services for their clients.



Our Trusted Brands

Acquisition International is a flagship brand of AI Global Media. AI Global Media is a B2B enterprise and are committed to creating engaging content allowing businesses to market their services to a larger global audience. We have a number of unique brands, each of which serves a specific industry or region. Each brand covers the latest news in its sector and publishes a digital magazine and newsletter which is read by a global audience.

Arrow