CWDI Report 2026 Highlights Women CEOs and Board Diversity: KBank among Recognized Companies

Corporate Women Directors International (CWDI), an international research organization dedicated to advancing women’s representation on corporate boards worldwide, has released its CWDI Report 2026: Women CEOs – Opening Doors to Boards and C-Suites. The report, which examined 3,222 leading companies worldwide, including large-listed firms from 71 countries across diverse industries, found that organizations led by female CEOs are more likely to create diversity at the leadership level. The report also highlights Thailand as one of the countries with the highest proportion of large-cap companies led by women CEOs, accounting for 20 percent of the Thai companies included in the survey. This places Thailand alongside Canada (23.3 percent), Croatia (22.2 percent), and Serbia (22.2 percent) among the world’s leading countries in this regard.

The 2026 CWDI report further indicates that companies with female CEOs are more likely to foster diversity in corporate leadership than the market average. This highlights the importance of diverse perspectives and experiences in corporate governance and management in today’s business environment. Advancing leadership diversity cannot be achieved merely through executive appointments alone. It must begin with the systematic development of growth pathways for female leaders. This involves assigning women to positions with responsibility for operating performance and core business operations, promoting gender balance from the managerial level upward, and providing continuous support through mentorship and sponsorship programs. The challenge in the future is not proving that women can lead organizations but rather building systems and corporate cultures that enable women to serve in leadership roles to their full potential.

CWDI said the findings underscore the important role of female leaders in expanding women’s participation in corporate decision-making, both at the board and executive levels, while also helping cultivate the next generation of organizational leaders. The 2026 rankings found that companies with the highest proportion of female directors among Large-Cap Companies include: Hang Seng Bank from Hong Kong, led by Ms. Luanne Lim, with 72.7 percent female directors; Ulta Beauty from the United States, led by Ms. Kecia L. Steelman, with 66.7 percent; Bidvest Group from South Africa, led by Ms. Mpumi Madisa, with 63.4 percent; Macquarie from Australia, led by Ms. Shemara Wikramanayake, with 62.5 percent; and Best Buy from the United States, led by Ms. Corie S. Barry, with 61.5 percent. KASIKORNBANK, a leading company from Thailand on the list, also has a high proportion of women on its board, with Ms. Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul serving as Chairperson and the Bank also being led by a female CEO. The Bank’s Board of Directors currently has eight out of 15 members who are women, representing 53 percent of the Board.

The Report also examined the relationship between women serving as Chief Executive Officers and female representation on corporate boards and senior management teams. While companies led by women CEOs account for only 6.7 percent of all companies surveyed, they demonstrate significantly higher levels of female representation in leadership positions than the global average. On average, companies with women CEOs have 38.3 percent female directors, compared with the global average of 28.9 percent, while women account for 36.8 percent of senior executive positions, substantially above the global average of 21.0 percent.

About CWDI

            Corporate Women Directors International (CWDI) is a non-profit organization under the GlobeWomen Research & Education Institute in the United States. It is dedicated to promoting the role of women in corporate boards worldwide and is an internationally recognized source of data on governance and diversity. The organization has been conducting research and publishing reports continuously for more than 30 years.