Women In CTRL release Seat at the Table Report 2026

Music industry boards near gender parity but the gap between gender and intersectional representation is wider now than when tracking began in 2020

New study shows broadly balanced representation of women and men, but global majority women now account for 11% of board positions, down from 2024  

Seat at the Table innovations for 2026 include a Boardroom Navigator and a Governance Advisory Council

Women in CTRL today publish their biennial Seat at the Table (SATT) report for 2026, which is presented in association with the BPI.  Access the report here. Press assets here (full report, individual pages and images).

The 2026 Seat at the Table report by Women in CTRL records the first simultaneous decline in both gender and intersectional representation on UK music trade association boards since tracking began in 2020.  At 49%, the proportion of women on boards is down from a peak of 52% in 2024.

Global majority women now hold 11% of board positions, down from 16% and falling short of the 15% global majority women's representation target.  Near gender parity achieved alongside declining intersectional representation is not inclusion.

The gap between gender representation and global majority women’s representation has widened to 38 percentage points, up from 29 percentage points in 2020 and from 36 percentage points in 2024.

Now in its fourth edition, Seat at the Table is a biennial research programme published by Women in CTRL. The report examines the representation of women in board and executive positions, including CEO and Chair- level roles, across UK Music and its member trade associations. The 2026 edition introduces governance analysis for the first time, examining how boards are structured, including Articles of Association, election processes, term limits, and constitutional equity provisions.

In response to the findings, Women in CTRL is announcing two new initiatives alongside the 2026 report: a Governance Advisory Council bringing together senior industry leaders to develop best practice in board governance, and the Boardroom Navigator, a free public resource mapping how to access board positions across the sector.

Key Findings:

• 49% of board members across the 11 UK Music trade bodies are women. A decrease from 52% in 2024, and up from 32% in 2020.
• 11% of board members are women from a global majority background. A decrease from 16% in 2024, and up from 3% in 2020.
• The intersectionality gap: the difference between gender representation and global majority women’s representation, has widened to 38 percentage points, up from 36 percentage points in 2024 and 29 percentage points in 2020. This is the widest gap since tracking began.
• Only one organisation currently meets both the UK Music Ten-Point Plan targets of 50% gender and 15% global majority women’s representation: the BPI. In 2024, the sector collectively met both targets. In 2026, neither target is met collectively.
• Organisations with equity provisions embedded in their Articles of Association show more consistent progress trajectories. Organisations without structural embedding show greater volatility, culture-led progress can reverse in a single board renewal cycle.

Additional findings:

• There are zero global majority women CEOs across all 11 organisations. No change across all four editions of the report.
• Organisations highlighted for progress include: FAC, with 27% global majority women on its board, the highest in the cohort. MMF, with 71% women on its board, the strongest gender representation across all trade bodies. PPL, with the strongest overall improvement trajectory across both gender and ethnicity since 2020.
• Gender representation ranges from 38% to 71% across the 11 organisations. Global majority women's representation ranges from 0% to 27%, with three organisations reporting no global majority women on their boards.
• Governance reforms to watch: BPI’s Article 44, the only constitutional equity provision in the sector, with reserved seating, a Code of Conduct, and a board induction process. Musicians’ Union’s unanimous 2025 member vote to introduce reserved seats for underrepresented communities. Ivors Academy’s term limits, Senate reforms, and anti-discrimination provisions.

Seat at the Table 2026 will be launched on Tuesday 10^th March in celebration of International Women's Day in association with the BPI, bringing together industry leaders for an evening of keynotes and panel discussion at Tileyard’s Gallery space, in London’s King’s Cross.

Nadia Khan, Founder and Director Women in CTRL, said:

“Near gender parity is a significant milestone, but the intersectionality gap has widened. When global majority women account for just 11% of board positions, down from 16% in 2024, we have to be honest about what that parity represents. In 2024, the sector collectively met both the gender and global majority women's representation targets, while in 2026, neither target is met collectively.

“Without structural embedding, progress is fragile. The organisations showing the most consistent trajectories are those that have written equity into their governance frameworks, not just their culture. That is the central finding of this year's report, and it is why we are launching the Boardroom Navigator and Governance Advisory Council, to support the wider music industry with practical tools to turn ambition into lasting change.”

Hailey Willington, BPI Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, said:

“Policy, including governance, is an essential tool in achieving increased diversity and representation at all levels of the music industry, and at the BPI collaboration and sharing learning underpins our Five-Year Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Strategy. The UK Music 10 Point Plan has been instrumental in developing our approach since 2019 and we are pleased to see this long-term work bearing fruit – with both with both 50% gender and 15% global majority women’s representation surpassed on BPI Council. We welcome and are delighted to support the launch of the 2026 edition of the Seat at the Table report focusing on governance and hope that our progress to date will encourage others to embed equity and inclusion into their governance frameworks.”  

NEW SATT INITIATIVES

Governance Advisory Council

Women in CTRL has launched a Governance Advisory Council, a senior advisory group bringing together leaders from across the music industry to share insight and develop best practice in board governance. The Council provides a structured forum for peer exchange on governance frameworks, board processes and constitutional mechanisms, and will contribute insight and expertise that inform practical resources for the wider sector, including the Boardroom Navigator.

Founding members: Nadia Khan (Chair), Jackie Davidson MBE, Hailey Willington (BPI), John Shortell (Musicians' Union), Layla Bunni (Clintons), Andrew Kidd (Clintons), Sarah Williams (IMPEL) and Maria McMillan (Ivors Academy).

Jackie Davidson MBE, JD Management and PPL and MPA Board member said:

“When I first joined a board, I realised that women, especially women of colour, often don’t know these opportunities exist or how to access them. The SATT Governance Advisory Council is about sharing best practice and learning from each other so that the progress we are seeing across the industry continues to grow. If we want boards that truly represent our industry, we need to look at how they work, not just who sits on them.”

The Boardroom Navigator

The Boardroom Navigator is a free public resource bringing together board election calendars, eligibility criteria, and practical guidance across music industry organisations, so that anyone with the ambition and expertise to contribute at board level can find out exactly how to do it.  Women in CTRL will work with a representative from each participating organisation to gather insight and resources.

At Women in CTRL’s Seat at the Table 2026 MIXER event, the first Seat at the Table Governance Advisory Council was launched.