© 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
A Presence Within the Middle East
Strategy
26/01/2017A Presence Within the Middle East

A dominant and resilient presence within the architecture world of the Middle East since its founding in 1984, the National Engineering Bureau has consistently and steadily carved out a reputation to match its many successful architecting feats across the regi

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Your Industrial Start up Can Keep Cost Low by Recognising Quality Used Equipment
Innovation
15/09/2022Your Industrial Start up Can Keep Cost Low by Recognising Quality Used Equipment

Industrial start ups have some of the highest initial capital requirements of any business. The most significant part of the start up capital will be for purchasing equipment. You can spend less money by choosing to buy quality but used equipment. It will save

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Mercer to Acquire GAMA Consultores Associados in Brazil
M&A
16/11/2015Mercer to Acquire GAMA Consultores Associados in Brazil

Brazil based firm will extend Mercer footprint into central region.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Innovators In Technology
Innovation
07/05/2021Innovators In Technology

Procon Analytics is a leading innovator of automotive IoT and big data insights, focused on capturing and translating data into actionable business intelligence. Learn more from company leaders about the future of their technology.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
9 Ways Cloud Computing is Enhancing Risk Management
Innovation
04/04/20249 Ways Cloud Computing is Enhancing Risk Management

Explore how cloud computing and risk management interconnect. Scalable, automated, and secure cloud solutions are transforming risk mitigation strategies.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
How To Secure Your Company Data During A Cloud Migration
News
15/11/2022How To Secure Your Company Data During A Cloud Migration

Moving digital assets into the cloud is a common trend for businesses nowadays. More of them find the convenience of organising and retrieval it affords highly advantageous to their operations.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
We Have All the Time in the World
Innovation
29/09/2016We Have All the Time in the World

ELF Productivity Ltd, is a privately owned, UK based software and technology house.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Ways to Safely Manage and Recycle E-Waste
Innovation
02/02/2023Ways to Safely Manage and Recycle E-Waste

As technology is rapidly evolving, more and more new devices and gadgets are being released almost every day. While the new invention is a step forward, we’re accumulating more e-waste than we can handle.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Health and Wealth
Innovation
04/03/2021Health and Wealth

The role of pharmacy benefit managers often goes uncredited within the USA health system. As a third party, acting outside of integrated health systems, it’s easy to see why many organizations can’t employ one focused on their business. This changed thanks



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