Philadelphia, PA – October 30, 2025 – The Forum of Executive Women, a membership organization of over 600 women leaders representing Greater Philadelphia’s most influential corporations, nonprofits, and public sector entities, recently unveiled its 2025 Women in Leadership Report at the organization’s annual Leadership Breakfast, revealing continued progress in women’s representation on corporate boards across Greater Philadelphia, alongside critical insights about women’s growing economic influence during the Great Wealth Transfer.
The report, presented to more than 500 attendees at this year’s Leadership Breakfast themed “The Great Wealth Transfer: Women, Wealth, and the New Power Structure,” shows that women now hold 30% of board seats across Philadelphia’s top 100 public companies, a 2% increase over last year and an 18% increase since 2013. This year, 54 companies achieved Champions of Board Diversity status by reaching the critical 30% threshold for women’s board representation.
“For more than two decades, The Forum has tracked women’s leadership across Philadelphia’s largest companies to measure progress and accelerate gender equity,” said Meghan Pierce, President and CEO of The Forum of Executive Women. “This year’s report arrives at a pivotal moment as an estimated $84 trillion in assets will shift across generations over the next two decades. The Forum is committed to ensuring women leaders are positioned to shape the economic and social landscape that emerges from this unprecedented shift.”
The Leadership Breakfast featured a distinguished panel of experts who explored the implications of the wealth transfer for women as investors, philanthropists, political donors, and entrepreneurs. Moderated by Deepti Nagulapally of JP Morgan, the panel included Morgan Stanley Economist Arunima Sinha, who examined women’s influence on consumer markets; Lydia Holiat, who discussed leveraging personal investments through philanthropy and portfolios with a gender lens; Debbie Walsh, who addressed women’s evolving role in political giving; and Tanya Morris, who explored opportunities for women as entrepreneurs and supporters of women- and minority-owned businesses. These leaders’ insights are also featured in the 2025 Women in Leadership Report and serve as a call to action to leverage this historic moment.
The Women in Leadership Report shows slow but measurable progress in women’s leadership across the region. The velocity of progress continues to accelerate, with 40% of new board seats and director replacements going to women in 2024, up from 36% in 2023. Only 3 companies now have no female board representation, a dramatic improvement from 35 companies in 2013. Perhaps most notably, the number of women CEOs more than doubled, rising from 4 in 2023 to 9 in 2024, marking a meaningful step forward in senior leadership representation.
The complete 2025 Women in Leadership Report, including detailed data, trend analysis, and the full list of Champions of Board Diversity, is available at www.foew.com/women-in-leadership.
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