Why the Pepsi challenge is the best route to being a woman CEO and other differences between the US

In our latest look at career paths to the top we compare the success of women CEOs in the UK and the USA running Fortune 500 and FTSE 350 organisations.

The most striking thing that both groups have in common is their rarity. There are still very few of them with only 43 companies out of 750 having women CEOs.

Apart from that, the US and UK CEOs are surprisingly different in terms of the sectors they lead in and how they got to the top.

Of note is the amazing role of Pepsi and Kraft. 5 out of the 26 US women CEOs have worked at Pepsi and 4 of those have also worked at Kraft. This feels more than a coincidence, and is an impressive example of how when you get it right you can make a real difference. The Pepsi challenge really does pay off.

If you want you can find out more about how top leaders develop from our ebook that looks at how top leaders grow and the role of talent in making that happen.