Management in Private High-Tech Companies: Women Comprise 17.6% of Senior Management
- Women Hold 30% of Mid-level Management Positions
In addition to women’s overall representation in the high-tech industry, an analysis was conducted of their presence in managerial roles. This analysis aims to assess women’s career paths and promotion opportunities in the industry relative to their overall employment ratio in high-tech.1The examination of women in non-managerial, mid-level management and CEO positions was conducted via an analysis of LinkedIn data on employees in a representative sample of Israeli high-tech companies, based on the latest IVC and Dealigence data as of January 2025. The calculation of the ratio of women at CEO level is detailed in the Entrepreneurship Chapter later in the publication.
Women comprised 30.3% of employees in mid-level management positions in the sampled companies, slightly lower than their ratio in non-managerial roles, which stood at 34.2% in the same sample. When examining the senior management tier (VP or C-Level), the ratio of women drops sharply to 17.6%.
At the top of the hierarchy pyramid of Israeli high-tech companies, women account for only 9.3% of CEOs – as will be detailed below.
- The Ratio of Women in Senior Management Drops Even in Fields of Gender Equality
An analysis of women’s representation in senior positions across various fields of activity reveals that even in sectors where the general level of gender equality is more equal – or even entirely equal (e.g., medical devices) – only a low ratio of women reach senior management levels.
In other words, women do not progress up the managerial ladder in proportion to their overall representation in these companies. For example, in the medical devices sector, women make up half of the employees in nonmanagerial roles, yet their representation in senior management drops to 19.3%. In the cyber sector, where the general ratio of women is lower, women comprise 26.3% of non-managerial employees, while their ratio in senior management declines to 15.5%.
- The Ratio of Women in Senior Positions Doubles in Companies With Female CEOs
An examination of women’s representation in senior roles in Israeli private high-tech companies reveals a significant gender gap. In companies led by male CEOs, women make up only 15.8% of senior management. In contrast, in companies led by female CEOs, this figure nearly doubles to 30.8%, indicating a correlation between the CEO’s gender and the presence of women in senior leadership roles.2This analysis examined the average ratio of women among all employees in companies led by male CEOs compared to those led by female CEOs. A similar trend , with even larger gaps, is observed when analyzing the average ratio of women in each specific company according to the CEO’s gender. Specifically, the average ratio of women at all tiers in companies led by a female CEO ranges between 43% and 50%.
However, when examining women’s overall representation in companies, including non-managerial positions, no significant difference was found between companies led by male and female CEOs, with women comprising 30.9% and 31.3% respectively, of companies’ total workforce. Looking specifically at the non-managerial tier, women comprise 34.1% in companies with male CEOs, while in companies led by female CEOs, the ratio is slightly lower at 30.7%.
Management in Public High-Tech Companies: 55% of Companies Have Two or Fewer Women in Senior Management
- 24% of the Managerial Team in Israeli Public High-Tech Companies are Women
In addition to private high-tech companies, an examination was conducted of the number of women in the managerial teams of Israeli public high-tech companies—the group of companies representing the industry’s generation of mature companies. Women in such leadership positions have the potential to manage companies and establish startups later in their careers.
A sample of 56 public technology companies was used for the examination, conducted in February 2025. These companies employed a total of 563 managerial staff members, of whom 137 were women. In other words, 24.3% of the managerial staff were female. The findings show that there has been no significant change in the representation of women in public companies’ managerial teams compared to the figures presented in the 2022 report.
In three companies in the sample (5%), there were no women in the managerial team. 20% of the companies had only one woman in management, 30% of the companies had two women, 21% of the companies had three women, and 23% of the companies had four or more women in the managerial team.
- Nearly 30% of Female Executives Hold HR Roles
The following analysis examined the roles held by female executives in Israeli public technology companies. The findings show that most senior positions held by women are in administrative roles. 29.2% of female executives work in Human Resources, 14.6% in Legal Counsel, 10.9% in Sales and Marketing, and 10.2% in Finance. In 71% of the companies analyzed, there was at least one female executive in an HR position.
Only 4.4% of female executives hold technology roles, while 2.2% are in product roles. 3.6% of female executives serve as CEOs or company presidents – meaning that women make up just one-tenth of roles at the companies’ technological core or managerial leadership.