Last November, Germany’s main political parties agreed in principle to the idea of requiring companies based in the country to allocate 30 per cent of their non-executive board seats to women as of 2016. The concept is yet to become law, however many German firms are implementing their own gender initiatives ahead of the possible introduction of such legislation. Continental AG is one such company, and when its new Supervisory Board met for the first time on 25 April, its numbers included three freshly-elected women. The presence of four female members on the 20-strong board means Continental has exceeded its target of having a Supervisory Board with 15 per cent women following the 2014 elections.