Future Factor Woman: Why More Women Need to Be in Leadership Positions. Despite all the gender quotas, efforts for emancipation, and positive examples, the percentage of women in executive positions remains only 2.5 percent. In the boards of the 200 largest German companies, there are only 21 women. This is despite the proven fact that women are a crucial economic factor and a guarantee of success, making them an urgently needed component of corporate leadership. For companies to survive in the long term, they are simply dependent on female leaders. Marianne Heiss, as CFO at the agency BBDO and a top manager herself, explains why companies are putting themselves at a disadvantage by overlooking female employees. For instance, during the last crisis, the male leaders in executive positions did not cover themselves in glory. She reveals how women can make it to the top.