'Seize the opportunity': Barclays' Barbara Byrne on demanding C-suite parity

At the current pace that women are being put into C-suite positions in the financial services sector, it will take more than 100 years to reach parity with men, Barbara Byrne said in a speech Thursday, citing a statistic from new McKinsey research.

Unacceptable, Byrne said, calling on the audience to make sure that the pace of adding diversity increases quickly.

Byrne, who retired from Barclays earlier this year, gave the speech when she accepted a lifetime achievement award at the annual gala for the Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance.

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