Kent is setting an example to big City firms by being "well represented" by businesswomen.

That's the view of a female business leader after a report today called for top companies to appoint more women to senior roles.

The review by Lord Davies of Abersoch recommends a quota system, with a target of 25 per cent representation on boards of FTSE 100 businesses by 2015. It is currently 12.5 per cent.

The report was prompted by an impression that the global financial crisis might have been averted if more women were better represented at the top of banks and other financial institutions.

Kent and Medway are home to some 50,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and women are thought to be well represented.

Alyson Howard, former chairman of Kent Institute of Directors and herself a director of Williams Giles, an accounting firm based in Sittingbourne, said: "My view is that across the SME sector, women are well represented. I am aware of lots of women across the county at board level. There is a more open approach about how to do business. Kent is an exemplar and Kent SMEs show FTSE companies how it should be done."

City firms had a more macho attitude and tended to be "male-oriented".

"It's not only that companies don't take on women, women don't necessarily want to take part in that environment. You can't force women to work where they don't want to work."

She did not like the recommendations of gender quotas. "I don't feel comfortable about forcing anyone to do anything, but that's from the perspective of a business person who is just overwhelmed by quotas, obligations, tick boxes and legislation we are expected to comply with."

But she would like to see schools encouraging more girls to go into business, to become entrepreneurs and willing to take risks along the way. Health and safety issues had tended to remove risk-taking from both boys and girls and something needed to be done about that.