FidAR e.V. – Frauen in die Aufsichtsräte

What FidAR e.V. – Frauen in die Aufsichtsräte does

FidAR e.V. – Frauen in die Aufsichtsräte is a non-profit registered association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 2006 in Berlin to advocate for equal participation of women in German corporate supervisory and executive boards. The organization is structured as a member-driven initiative comprising approximately 1,400-1,500 women and men in leadership positions across business, academia, and public life, supported by a lean staff of 2-10 employees based at its Kurfürstendamm headquarters. FidAR operates through eight regional networks across Germany and maintains relationships with federal ministries, most notably the Bundesministerium für Bildung, Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend (BMBFSFJ), which provides project funding for the organization's research and convening activities.

The organization's core output is the Women-on-Board-Index (WoB-Index) research series, which tracks gender representation across DAX, MDAX, SDAX, and regulated-market companies with codetermination (WoB-Index 185 covering 182 companies as of January 2026), the largest 100 quota-subject firms (WoB-Index 100), and federal and state public enterprises (Public WoB-Index covering 259 companies as of January 2025). Regional variants cover Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia, while supplementary studies include Wirkungsanalyse, Bedarfsanalyse, Stimmungsbarometer, and Planzahlen-Resümee. FidAR also convenes the annual FidAR-Forum conference at the Allianz Forum Berlin (~300-350 decision-makers), awards the Women-on-Board-Award (most recently to NORMA Group SE in March 2026), publishes election synopses analyzing party platforms, and maintains the Wahlsynopsen, newsletter, and Barcamp member formats.

Revenue derives from four streams: individual and corporate membership fees, government project grants from BMBFSFJ, corporate cooperation agreements (e.g., Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland since 2022), and event registration/sponsorship fees. As a registered association, FidAR does not sell commercial products and does not publicly disclose financial figures. Strategic partnerships include the Deutscher Frauenrat (joined July 2026), the co-initiated Berliner Erklärung coalition of 21 associations, and joint advocacy with the AllBright Foundation through the Chef:innensache initiative.

Name

FidAR e.V. – Frauen in die Aufsichtsräte

Legal name

FidAR – Frauen in die Aufsichtsräte e. V.

Website

https://fidar.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FidAR is a German non-profit founded in 2006 that advocates for gender parity in corporate supervisory boards, serving approximately 1,400-1,500 members through annual Women-on-Board-Index research, the FidAR-Forum conference, and policy advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Individual and corporate membership fees from approximately 1,400-1,500 members comprising women and men in leadership positions, businesses, and organizations.
2. Government grants: Funding from Bundesministerium für Bildung, Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend (BMBFSFJ) for research indices and the annual FidAR-Forum conference.
3. Corporate partnerships and sponsorship: Corporate cooperation agreements (e.g., Sanofi) and supporter memberships from companies committed to FidAR's gender parity goals.
4. Event revenue: Registration fees and sponsorship from the annual FidAR-Forum event.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

FidAR e.V. is a non-profit registered association that advocates for gender parity in German corporate supervisory and executive boards. Its core offerings include the annual Women-on-Board-Index (WoB-Index) research studies tracking women's representation across DAX, MDAX, SDAX, and public companies; the annual FidAR-Forum conference; corporate cooperation programs; supervisory board qualification training; and policy advocacy on gender quota legislation. Revenue is generated through individual and corporate membership fees, federal ministry grants, event sponsorships, and donations.

Product overview

FidAR e.V. – Frauen in die Aufsichtsräte is a non-profit initiative founded in 2006 that advocates for gender parity in leadership positions in the German economy. The organization's core offerings consist of research indices (Women-on-Board-Index series including WoB-Index 185, 160, 100, Public WoB-Index, and regional variants) that track and rank companies by women's representation on supervisory boards and executive boards, alongside annual events including the FidAR-Forum conference and the Women-on-Board-Award. FidAR also provides qualification programs for supervisory board positions, publishes election analyses (Wahlsynopsen), and maintains member services through its newsletter and barcamp events. The organization operates as a platform for transparency and advocacy rather than a commercial product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Women-on-Board-Index 185 (WoB-Index 185) Annual index tracking the percentage of women on supervisory boards and executive boards of DAX, MDAX, SDAX, and companies listed on the Regulated Market with parity codetermination; targets companies, policymakers, and the public.
• Women-on-Board-Index 160 (WoB-Index 160)

Quantifiable outcome

• Companies subject to gender quota: 38.6% average women on supervisory boards (vs 34.1% for non-quoted companies)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Deutscher FrauenratflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026FidAR became a member of the German Women's Council (Deutscher Frauenrat) on July 1, 2026, joining approximately 60 member organizations. The Deutscher Frauenrat is Germany's largest women's and gender policy advocacy association, bringing gender policy concerns into political decision-making processes. The membership strengthens FidAR's position in gender policy debates and broadens the reach of its mission for parity in leadership positions.
• Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 October 2021Corporate cooperation where Sanofi commits to FidAR's goals: equal participation of women and men in leadership positions, equal pay for equal work, and gender-neutral selection and promotion. Sanofi, a global biopharmaceutical company with 100,000+ employees in 90 countries and 9,000+ in Germany, undergoes annual verification by FidAR using the same methodology as the WoB-Index.
• Berliner ErklärungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFidAR is co-initiator of the Berliner Erklärung, a nationwide coalition of 21 associations and organizations united for gender equality in society, business, and academia. FidAR founding president Monika Schulz-Strelow co-initiated this alliance to advocate for equal representation with one shared goal: parity without exceptions.
• AllBright StiftungminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint advocacy partnership with the AllBright Foundation focused on promoting diversity in leadership. FidAR and AllBright collaborated on the Chef:innensache initiative, agreeing on the importance of transparency through research indices and the necessity of binding targets for advancing women's representation in leadership.
• Horizons by heiseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFidAR cooperates with the Horizons conference on topics of technology and leadership. FidAR members receive 20% discount on conference tickets as part of the partnership.
• Initiative Chef:innensacheminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint panel participation and advocacy collaboration on the annual Chef:innensache conference with representatives including FidAR president and AllBright Foundation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Catalyst: Established global non-profit advancing women in leadership through research, advisory, and events. Comparable to FidAR in producing recurring workplace-gender research and serving corporate members, but with a far larger international footprint and broader HR/leadership scope.

Direct peers

• Deutscher Frauenrat: Germany's largest gender-policy umbrella organization of ~60 associations. FidAR itself joined this body in July 2026; the two organizations share advocacy on parity legislation and overlap in addressing German policymakers on FüPoG and related measures.
• AllBright Stiftung: German non-profit foundation that, like FidAR, publishes research indices and runs advocacy on gender parity in German corporate leadership. The two organizations have an explicit joint advocacy partnership (Chef:innensache), operate in the same constituency, and produce overlapping WoB-style rankings.
• Women Corporate Directors (WCD): Global membership organization for women serving on corporate boards, providing networking, education, and advocacy. Directly comparable to FidAR's mission of supporting and connecting women in supervisory board positions and amplifying their visibility for board appointments.
• 30% Club: Global campaign organization championing 30%+ women representation on corporate boards and senior leadership. Highly comparable to FidAR's mission of pushing for binding percentage targets in boardrooms, though operating across multiple countries rather than Germany-only.

Others

• Initiative Chef:innensache: Joint German diversity initiative where FidAR actively participates alongside AllBright, BDA, DIHK, and other associations. Comparable via shared annual 'Chef:innensache' conference and joint advocacy on binding targets for women in leadership.
• BDI – Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie: Germany's main industry association representing the broader German industrial sector. Although not a women-in-leadership NGO itself, BDI's policy positions on FüPoG and corporate governance directly interact with FidAR's advocacy targets and member companies.
• boardsearch GmbH: Germany's leading executive search firm focused on supervisory and management board placements. Comparable to FidAR's mandate of placing qualified women on boards, but operates as a commercial recruiter rather than an advocacy organization.

Emerging players

• Generation CEO e.V. Germany-based network advancing women into top executive positions. Overlaps with FidAR's executive-level pipeline work; previously shared board-level personnel with FidAR (Dr. Anja V. Hartmann was a board member), making it a close, smaller-scale peer.

Regional players

• European Women's Lobby: Brussels-based umbrella association of European women's organizations advocating for gender equality legislation at EU level. Comparable to FidAR on gender advocacy and policy work but operates pan-European rather than Germany-only and covers broader equality issues beyond corporate boards.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FidAReV
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdPYZxXBsZuyRJaMEr9Wg
• Facebookfacebook.com/FidAReV
• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/fidar-frauen-in-die-aufsichtsr%C3%A4te-e-v-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about FidAR e.V. – Frauen in die Aufsichtsräte