A conceptual note prepared for the conference by the Gender Equality Division of the Department of Justice and Equality underscored the need to focus on the issue of gender balanced leadership. OECD1 and European research shows tangible and measurable benefits from better gender-balance including: increased labour productivity; enhanced governance and performance; improved corporate image; higher return on investment; greater ability to attract and retain the best talent; increased workplace innovation; and a reduction in employee turnover. Women account for an important part of the global consumer market and make 70% of the household purchasing decisions in the EU and it is crucial that senior management in companies adequately reflect this consumer base. Economic growth and sustained business investment requires a diverse and highly skilled workforce. Greater gender balance in senior decision making roles can contribute to this in important ways. The low numbers of women in senior decision-making positions in Ireland represent a vast pool of untapped potential and under-utilisation of talent. In April 2014, women accounted for only 10.5% of the board members of the largest publicly listed companies in Ireland, up only 2.1 percentage points from 2010 whereas, for the EU as a whole, the average share of women on the boards of the largest publicly listed companies had risen by 6.7 percentage points to reach 18.6%. Three in one hundred (3.3%) of the largest listed companies in Europe have a woman CEO (Chief Executive Officer), while in Ireland the figure is around 6%. Despite efforts to address these issues in the public sector in Ireland, traditionally a key employer of women, the sector remains largely pyramidal with relatively few women compared to men rising to senior positions. More recently there have been a series of positive examples of female appointments to decision making positions traditionally held by men, particularly in the Justice area. The overall trends, however, tell us that women as a highly skilled source of leadership talent and potential are being largely overlooked to the detriment of business performance and the wider economy as a whole.