Former AIB and Davy chief executive Bernard Byrne is to become co-chair of the Balance for Better Business group.
The organisation was set up six years ago by the Government with the task of improving gender balance in senior business here.
A chartered accountant, Mr Byrne will join the other co-chair and BNY managing director, Carol Andrews, who has been in the role since May of last year.
He succeeds co-chair, Aongus Hegarty, a former President of Dell Technologies and current Adjunct Professor at University of Limerick, who was a founding member of Balance for Better Business in 2018.
"I am delighted to take up my role as Co-Chair of Balance for Better Business and build on the initiative's success in driving gender balance across Irish business," said Mr Byrne.
"Gender balance is a strategic imperative and it’s crucial that we support all organisations, large and small, across every sector of the economy, to realise the benefits of balanced leadership."
When it reported its last set of results in March, Balance for Better Business found the percentage of women on the boards of ISEQ20 companies has reached 40%, while the average level of female representation on the boards of all listed companies was 37%.
But it found the pace of progress in achieving gender balance at the senior leadership level was slower here.
It found that while there was a modest increase in female representation on the leadership teams of other listed companies from 16% to 18%, the proportion of women on the leadership teams of the ISEQ20 sat at 27%.
Across all listed companies in Ireland, the proportion of all male leadership teams stood at nearly 1 in 4.
In May the initiative launched a new five-year strategy to build on its progress and set a new target for organisations to achieve 40% plus female representation on boards and leadership teams.
"Gender balance should be a strategic priority for every business," Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Peter Burke said.
"From improved financial performance to increased innovation, prioritising the development of balanced leadership can unlock valuable business benefits that enhance the competitiveness of Irish business."
"As the incoming Co-chair of the initiative, Bernard will play a critical role in working with the business community to accelerate change and build a more equitable, diverse and inclusive business ecosystem."
