Strength in numbers

Fort Myers-based women's retailer Chico's FAS recently picked up some national attention for the number of women among its board and executive ranks.

The company was designated a 2020 Women on Boards company, for having 20% or more of its board seats held by women. It also has an executive committee that's more than 80% female, according to a report from 2020 Women on Boards. The organization is a nonprofit committed to increasing the percentage of women who serve on company boards to 20% or greater by the year 2020. Lakeland-based Publix is also on the list.

In addition to 2020 Women on Boards, Chico's ranked No. 1 in a recent report from financial website 24/7 Wall Street on companies with the best (and worst) executive female representation. The website used data from research group LedBetter, which created an index of the share of women on the board and the share of women in executive leadership positions at 237 global corporations.