Many companies in this day and age vow to encourage diversity throughout their business. But how many of these firms have boards which reflect this very mindset? We’ve taken a look at some of the most and least diverse FTSE 100 boards in terms of gender and ethnic equality.
Barclays (LON:BARC)
Let’s start with one of the world’s leading multinational investment banks and financial services companies. The board is currently made up of thirteen individuals. Of these, four are women and two are of a BAME background. That’s not a bad divide for the British bank with almost a 50/50 diversity split.
HSBC (LON:HSBA)
Next we have a competitor of Barclays – HSBC. The bank’s board of directors is also made up of thirteen people. Among these directors, six are women and three are of BAME backgrounds (of which two are also women). Therefore, the firm’s board is rather diverse with the majority of positions filled by social minorities.
JD Sports Fashion (LON:JD)
Let’s move on from the banks and take a look at a couple of retail companies. JD Sports is a sports-fashion retail company based in the UK, but with stores across the globe. Its board of directors consists of seven leaders, and two of these are women. The FTSE 100 lister does not have any directors of BAME backgrounds sitting on its board. Granted there are only seven members, but this is not a representative board at all for ethnic minorities.
Burberry Group (LON:BRBY)
Next we have a retailer which falls under the luxury end of the fashion market. Burberry is a British luxury fashion house based in the UK; it’s products are iconic and are recognised by most for their unique print. The company has eleven people sitting on its board of directors. Five of these are women, and one of these women is from a BAME background. Burberry’s board is rather diverse in terms of gender, but it could certainly be more varied in terms of ethnicity.
EasyJet (LON: EZJ)
Most of us have travelled with easyJet to reach destinations within Europe. The British airline is known for its low-cost flights and most flyers have used easyJet at least once in their travels. But how diverse is the company’s board of directors? Well, there is not a single person from a BAME background sitting on its board. Instead, there are four women and seven men. This is a rather poor show from the airline; just over a third of its management are women, but there is no ethnic diversity.
Whitbread (LON:WTB)
The British multinational hotel and restaurant company, Whitbread, is the last firm on our list. Similarly to easyJet, its senior management does not include a single individual from a BAME background. Whitbread’s board of directors consists of eleven people; four women and seven men. There may be some variation in gender, but the company’s board is certainly lacking in ethnic diversity.
What the majority of these companies are missing at a senior level is ethnic diversity. Gender equality seems to be growing, but there is still an absence of BAME representation on many of these boards. Back in 2017, companies were given four years to appoint at least one ethnic minority board member. The deadline is approaching, so where is the representation?