It has been a busy start to the year for the European IPO market. If the $3.2 billion of business already priced and the $8.5 billion being marketed find investors, soon a lot of new directors will be taking their seats around the boardroom tables of newly listed companies. But how many of those seats will be filled by women?

Preparation for an IPO is one of the greatest opportunities to increase the diversity of a company's board. In what is set to be the best year for flotations in Europe since the financial crisis, that opportunity must not be missed.