Proof that it's easier for women to become non-executive directors of Scottish financial services companies?

At a recent networking event for recent MBAs and for headhunters of non-executive directors, the talk was all of the unfair advantages that women have over men in the quest to become non-executive directors (NEDs).

"It's really refreshing when a client says they don't care about hiring female NEDs and that they just want the best person for the job," said one. In far too many cases, complained the headhunters, companies will now go out of their way to hire female non-executive directors simply to appear politically correct.

It's interesting, therefore, that Adam & Company, the Edinburgh-based private bank, has just announced the appointment of two new non-executive directors and they're both women.

They are: Linda Urquhart, a former chief executive of solicitors Morton Fraser turned serial non-exec, and Alexa Henderson, a former managing director at Deutsche Bank.

Women aren't much in evidence elsewhere at Adam & Co: out of seven directors, only one seems to be female.  

Together with the other NEDs, Adams says Linda and Alexa will be looking at, "strategy, financial performance, risk issues and remuneration."

RBS, Adam & Co's parents company, is currently advertising 74 jobs in private banking and wealth management. However, only one is at Adam & Co. It's for an anti-money laundering officer, based in Edinburgh.