Our overall workforce is gender balanced; however, women remain under-represented at the highest levels of the business. Through our research we have identified a number of specific challenges affecting women, including time out of the work-force as carers, unconscious bias, less visibility of female leaders and lack of role models. 

The WPP Stella women's network aims to address these barriers that could prevent women from progressing their careers to senior levels within the Group and to facilitate the sharing of good practices between our companies. The network began in the UK and will be extended to our businesses in the US and Asia. As well as supporting our work on inclusion and tackling unconscious bias, the network has: 

• Launched our Family Friendly Guidelines and Parent Portal for UK operating companies with similar guidelines being developed for the US. These are helping our companies implement best practice maternity, paternity and flexible working policies.
• Introduced training and development, including progression coaching and media training to facilitate women in leadership roles to take up speaking opportunities. A Stella Speakers' Bureau will be launched during 2017.
• Run a series of networking events, talks and Q&A sessions for Stella members during the year.
• Developed unconscious bias training that will be launched in 2017 for all employees in the Group.

We are making progress on representation of women at senior levels. As of December 31, 2016, women comprised 29% of the X:PP Board, 33% of non-executive directors on the WPP Board, 34% of directors and executive leaders in our operating companies, 48% of senior managers and 39% of Global Client Leaders.

Andrea Harris