At a European level, EU Directive 2022/2381 (on improving the gender balance among directors of listed companies and related measures) stipulates that at least 40% of the non-executive director positions in listed companies should be held by members of the under-represented sex by 2026. If Member States choose to apply the new rules to both executive and non-executive directors, 33% of all director positions should be held by under-represented sex by 2026.
This Department has fully transposed this EU Directive. The required Regulations to transpose the Directive applied the objective of relevant boards having 40% of all non-executive Directors from the under-represented sex. Relevant companies will also need to set individual quantitative objectives to improve the gender balance on their executive director level.
The Department has been designated as the Monitoring Authority under the Directive, with the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) also designated as a body to support relevant companies in achieving the objectives. Reporting obligations will begin for relevant listed companies this year, 2026. These companies are required to provide information to the Department regarding the gender balance on their Boards via the Gender Pay Gap Portal, a centralised database, no later than 30 November each year. They will also have to publish the information on their own websites, and as part of the company’s Corporate Governance Statement.
Work is ongoing to begin engagement with and provide guidance to relevant companies to ensure they are aware of their new obligations, and what actions that they need to take to ensure they remain compliant. The Department is also procuring experts to prepare advice for companies on how to amend their selection process to comply with their legislation obligations.
Ireland has already made significant progress in this area. Based on 2024 data, of the 24 listed companies in 2024, 16 companies (67%) have already reached the objective of having at least 40% of non-executive director positions of the underrepresented sex as laid down in Article 5(1) of the Directive, and Regulation 3 of the European Union (Gender Balance on Boards of Certain Companies) Regulations 2025.
With regard to the gender balance on State Boards, the collection and publication of this information is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.
