What are the gender quota requirements for companies in Austria?

Under the GesLeiPoG, in force since 30 June 2026, the supervisory boards of all listed AGs and SEs must include at least 40% of each sex, regardless of board size, for all elections and appointments made after 31 December 2026. Non-listed companies with more than 1,000 employees remain subject to the earlier 30% quota under the GFMA-G, which applies where the supervisory board has at least six shareholder-elected members.

What happens if an Austrian company breaches the quota?

An election or appointment that breaches the quota is null and void, and the seat remains empty until it is filled in compliance with the law (the empty chair sanction). Companies must also report on gender representation and the measures taken in their corporate governance report for financial years beginning after 29 June 2026.

Does the Austrian quota apply to management boards?

No. A binding management board quota was debated during the legislative process but dropped from the final law. The numerical requirements apply only at supervisory board level. Executive teams face disclosure and governance expectations rather than a quota, though the regulatory trend across Europe is moving toward the executive level.

How many women does a small supervisory board need under the new Austrian law?

The 40% applies to boards of every size: the law rounds to the number of members closest to 40% without exceeding 49%. On a three-member board, at least one member of each sex is required. The previous exemption for boards with fewer than six shareholder representatives no longer applies to listed companies.

How quickly can FES present female executive candidates in Austria?

FES delivers a shortlist of vetted, interested candidates within 7 to 10 days of engagement, drawing on more than 28,000 pre-vetted executives worldwide, including Austrian and German-speaking female leaders with supervisory board and executive experience.

How is the FES fee structured?

The FES fee is 25% of the gross annual salary of the position, paid in three milestone-based instalments: one third at engagement signing, one third at shortlist delivery, and one third when the candidate starts. Every placement carries a 6-month replacement guarantee.

Does FES only present female candidates?

FES specialises in identifying and assessing qualified female executives, giving clients access to senior female talent that traditional search often overlooks. All candidates are put forward on the strength of their competence and fit for the role, consistent with the merit-based selection principles of Austrian and EU law.

Hire Female Executives in Austria

Austria Just Raised Its Quota to 40% — the Countdown to the First Covered Appointments Has Started

Austria has Europe's newest board gender law. The Gesellschaftsrechtliches Leitungspositionengesetz (GesLeiPoG) entered into force on 30 June 2026, raising the supervisory board quota from 30% to 40% for all listed companies and closing the loophole that previously exempted smaller boards. The new quota applies to every election and appointment after 31 December 2026, with the strictest sanction Austrian company law knows: a breaching election is simply void, and the seat stays empty. Austrian supervisory boards currently stand at around one-third women. The gap to 40% must be closed at the next annual general meetings.

40% of each sex on the supervisory boards of all listed AGs and SEs under the GesLeiPoG, regardless of board size — up from the previous 30%, which only applied to boards with six or more shareholder representatives.
Applies to elections and appointments after 31 December 2026; existing mandates are grandfathered until the end of their term, so every upcoming AGM is a compliance event.
Sanction: a non-compliant election or appointment is void and the seat remains empty (the "empty chair").
The old 30% quota remains for non-listed companies with more than 1,000 employees; a binding management board quota was debated but dropped from the final law.

At Female Executive Search, we help businesses in Austria prepare for the new threshold with genuinely qualified female executives — leaders who strengthen your business, not just your ratios. Whether you need a supervisory board member before your next election or a C-level appointment to strengthen your leadership team, our tailored search process connects you with vetted female executives across all major industries.

Explore the profiles of top female executives below, or read on to understand exactly what the new Austrian law requires of your company.

Wadad, COO

Countries covered: Austria, Croatia, United Arab Emirates ,France, Netherlands

A visionary leader with over 30 years of experience in the IT industry. Successfully guided organizations through growth and geographical expansion in Europe, the ME, and LATAM. Extensive leadership skills and ability to transform large-scale, highly complex multimillion-dollar businesses. Expertise in digital transformation, SaaS, IT services & software, security services, AI/machine learning.

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Jutta, COO/Managing Director

Countries covered: Austria, Japan, Switzerland, USA

• Systemic thinker, analytical and creative problem solver. • Expertise in communications and pedagogy, active as a mentor and coach. • Holistic mind applying structure and creativity to reduce complexity and develop simple, innovative and inclusive options for action in change processes • Keen sense for cultural factors to find the best way to collaborate and co-create.

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Austria's gender quota laws: what applies to your company

From GFMA-G to GesLeiPoG: what changed on 30 June 2026

Since 2018, Austria's GFMA-G required 30% of each sex on the supervisory boards of listed companies and companies with more than 1,000 employees — but only where the board had at least six shareholder-elected members, which left many smaller listed boards outside the rule. The Gesellschaftsrechtliches Leitungspositionengesetz, adopted by the Nationalrat in March 2026 to transpose the EU Women on Boards Directive, changes both parameters for listed companies: the threshold rises to 40% of each sex, and it applies to every listed AG and SE regardless of board size. On a three-member board, at least one seat must go to each sex; the law rounds to the number closest to 40% without exceeding 49%.

Timing: grandfathered mandates, hard cut-off

The new quota governs elections and appointments made after 31 December 2026. Sitting supervisory board members serve out their existing mandates, but from the 2027 general meeting season onwards, every election must produce a compliant board composition. For a listed company below the 40% line, that turns each upcoming AGM, each resignation and each committee reshuffle into a planning question: which seats come up, and is a qualified candidate of the underrepresented sex ready for them?

Sanction: the empty chair, now with higher stakes

Austria retains the sanction model that made the 30% quota effective: an election or appointment that breaches the quota is null and void, and the seat remains vacant until it is filled in compliance with the law. There is no fine to budget for and no waiver to apply for; the appointment simply does not happen. The law also introduces new disclosure obligations in the corporate governance report on gender representation and the measures taken, applying to financial years beginning after 29 June 2026.

What stayed out: the management board

A binding quota for management boards (Vorstände) was debated during the legislative process and did not survive into the final text; the 30% rule likewise continues unchanged for non-listed companies with more than 1,000 employees. Austrian executive teams therefore face no numerical mandate. But the pattern from every neighbouring market, and from Austria's own data, is clear: women who do reach Austrian and German executive boards arrive disproportionately through finance roles, while CEO and operational positions remain closed. The regulatory attention that moved from 30% to 40% at supervisory level will not stop at the boardroom door indefinitely.

The 2027 AGM season is the recruitment window

Austrian supervisory boards of listed companies currently average around one-third women, meaningfully short of the new 40% threshold. Unlike a phased quota, the GesLeiPoG allows no partial credit: from the first covered election, the board composition must comply or the election fails. That compresses the search timeline into the months before each 2027 general meeting, for every listed company below the line, all recruiting from the same pool of board-ready women in Austria and the wider DACH region at the same time. Companies that identify and engage candidates in 2026 will appoint from strength; those that start in spring 2027 will not. That is precisely where specialised search makes the difference.

How Female Executive Search helps you comply — and compete

Female Executive Search (FES), part of the CEO Worldwide group founded in 2001, specialises in identifying outstanding female leaders for board, C-level and executive committee roles. For searches in Austria we draw on a global pool of over 28,000 vetted executives across 183 countries, including Austrian and German-speaking (DACH) women leaders with supervisory board and P&L experience.

Our process is built for the timelines the new law imposes:

Shortlist in 7–10 days — qualified, interested candidates, not a database dump.
Transparent milestone-based fee — 25% of the gross annual salary, paid in three instalments: at engagement signing, at shortlist delivery, and when your candidate starts.
6-month replacement guarantee on every placement.

Frequently asked questions

What are the gender quota requirements for companies in Austria?: Under the GesLeiPoG, in force since 30 June 2026, the supervisory boards of all listed AGs and SEs must include at least 40% of each sex, regardless of board size, for all elections and appointments made after 31 December 2026. Non-listed companies with more than 1,000 employees remain subject to the earlier 30% quota under the GFMA-G, which applies where the supervisory board has at least six shareholder-elected members.
What happens if an Austrian company breaches the quota?: An election or appointment that breaches the quota is null and void, and the seat remains empty until it is filled in compliance with the law (the "empty chair" sanction). Companies must also report on gender representation and the measures taken in their corporate governance report for financial years beginning after 29 June 2026.
When does the new 40% quota start to apply?: The law entered into force on 30 June 2026, and the 40% requirement governs elections and appointments made after 31 December 2026. Sitting supervisory board members serve out their existing mandates, so the first fully covered appointment cycle is the 2027 general meeting season.
Does the Austrian quota apply to management boards?: No. A binding management board quota was debated during the legislative process but dropped from the final law. The numerical requirements apply only at supervisory board level. Executive teams face disclosure and governance expectations rather than a quota, though the regulatory trend across Europe is moving toward the executive level.
How many women does a small supervisory board need under the new law?: The 40% applies to boards of every size: the law rounds to the number of members closest to 40% without exceeding 49%. On a three-member board, at least one member of each sex is required. The previous exemption for boards with fewer than six shareholder representatives no longer applies to listed companies.
How quickly can FES present female executive candidates in Austria?: We deliver a shortlist of vetted, interested candidates within 7 to 10 days of engagement, drawing on more than 28,000 pre-vetted executives worldwide, including Austrian and German-speaking female leaders with supervisory board and executive experience.
How is the FES fee structured?: Our fee is 25% of the gross annual salary of the position, paid in three milestone-based instalments: one third at engagement signing, one third at shortlist delivery, and one third when the candidate starts. Every placement carries a 6-month replacement guarantee.
Does FES only present female candidates?: FES specialises in identifying and assessing qualified female executives, giving clients access to senior female talent that traditional search often overlooks. All candidates are put forward on the strength of their competence and fit for the role — consistent with the merit-based selection principles of Austrian and EU law.

Legal references: Gesellschaftsrechtliches Leitungspositionengesetz (GesLeiPoG), adopted March 2026, in force 30 June 2026; GFMA-G (2018); Directive (EU) 2022/2381. Statistics: Austrian supervisory board representation per 2026 coverage of the reform and the AK Frauen.Management.Report 2026. Information current as of July 2026; this page is general information, not legal advice.