Recession dents image of macho management

"It has been suggested these women will be able to guide the banks through tough times without taking the kind of aggressive risks that brought the country's banking system to its knees. One government official said at the time: "The men make the mess and the women come in to clean it up."

Yet, according to analysis of British companies carried out by the Financial Times, troubled companies would be misguided to rely on female chief executives derisking their operations after male misadventures.

If anything, the research suggests that companies with female CEOs tend to be even more aggressive - with many pursuing ambitious expansion strategies and borrowing large amounts."