Recruiter says lack of diversity at top firms is hurting UK business
A lack of ethnic diversity in Britain’s top firms is putting UK companies “at a serious disadvantage,” according to a new report out today.
Researchers for recruiter Green Park have identified a widening so-called “diversity deficit,” with the position of ethnic minorities in leadership roles at FTSE100 firms declining over the past year.
The report found that just under two-thirds of blue chips now have an all-white board. Excluding non-executive directors, the researchers found that the number of companies with an all-white leadership board stands at 70, seven companies more than last year.
The researchers also found that there are no executive directors with East Asian or Chinese heritage on any FTSE100 board.
Green Park chief executive Raj Tulsiani called the results “concerning,” pointing out that despite increased corporate focus on diversity, companies are getting less ethnically diverse not only in the boardroom, but also among more junior employees.
“It’s particularly concerning to see that at pipeline level, we’ve lost such a large number of potential ethnic minority leaders, suggesting that the situation is likely to continue to worsen rather than improve in the future,” Tulsiani said.
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