Women becoming rare in boardrooms

With the recent departure of two female managing directors, only five Swedish companies listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange have women at the top.

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Karin Forseke, mananging director for Carnegie, an investment firm, has announced her resignation and will leave her post this spring.

Her announcement comes on the heels of Ingrid Osmundsen's firing, in early February, from managing director duties at Wedins, a shoe retailer.

Forseke has been managing director for Cargengie for the past three years and worked at Carnegie since 1998.

She feels she has done what she is best at, implementing large-scale changes, and that it is now time for someone else to take over.

"I am best as a turn-around director and now I think that we are on the way into a new phase where it is time for someone else," Forseke said.

She claims she has no future career plans for the time being.

Carnegie Chairman Lars Bertmar is sorry to see Forseke go.

"She has very successfully led the company to an even stronger market position," he said.

Of 271 listed Swedish companies, only two percent, or five companies, now have female managing directors, according to a study by Veckans Affärer.

Forseke is careful offering viewpoints on why there are so few female managing directors, she states.

She has been too busy with work to reflect on such questions.

"This is a seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day job," Forseke stated.

"I have had a firm to run, and been busy delivering a good result. And that's what I've done."

The five current female managing directors are Annika Falkengren at SEB, Eva Rooth at Feelgood, Marike Philipson at Wise Group, Christina Detlefsen at Nexus and Heliane Canepa at Nobel Biocare.

TT/The Local