No-frills airline Wizz Air is no longer the FTSE firm with the fewest women in senior roles after recruiting two in the space of a week.
The Hungarian carrier unveiled Sonia Jerez Burdeus, a former finance director at Spanish airline Vueling, as its new chief financial officer, starting on 1 June.
The appointment was made a week after Wizz Air appointed Susan Hooper, a former managing director of British Gas Services, as a non-executive director.
Wizz Air came out worst in a list of UK-based companies produced by the former trade minister Lord Davies, who led a government-backed review of the gender balance at the top of British companies.
It was one of 15 companies in the FTSE 250 with no women on its board, including Egypt-focused miner Centamin, bulls’ semen specialist Genus and Abu Dhabi-based healthcare group Al Noor Hospitals.
Although WizzAir’s finance director does not sit on the company’s board, its new non-executive director will. That will move the company off the bottom of Davies league table, leaving Nostrum Oil & Gas in last place with no women among nine directors.
Wizz Air attracted criticism last November when a previous boardroom reshuffle failed to result in any women being recruited. The company hinted at the time that it was looking for female candidates who would be suitable for a directorship.
“We need the best person for the non-executive role and the search is being conducted with diversity very much in mind,” it said.
