The number of women currently sitting on the boards of the UK's top companies rose to 16 percent, from 15.6 percent in March, with all male-boards falling from 11 to nine, according to the latest data from the .

A total of 153 women now hold 176 board positions at FTSE 100 companies out of the 1,098 board positions available. In March 141 women held 163 FTSE 100 board seats.

"It is really encouraging to see a continuing fall in the number of all-male boards and so soon after publishing last month's report," Dr Ruth Sealy, deputy director of the Cranfield International Centre for Women Leaders, said in a statement.

As at 19 April the FTSE 100 companies with all-male boards included Amec, Antofagasta, Croda, , Intertek Group, Kazakhmys, Randgold Resources, Vedanta Resources and .

Dr Ruth said however that she was "aware of one or two" of the nine remaining all-male FTSE 100 boards that are looking to appoint their first female director.