Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Equality, diversity and inclusionLatest NewsEthnicity

Nearly a fifth of FTSE 100 lack board-level ethnic diversity

by Ashleigh Webber 12 Mar 2021
by Ashleigh Webber 12 Mar 2021 Shutterstock
Shutterstock

Almost a fifth of FTSE 100 companies still lack ethnic minority representation on their boards.

According to the latest data from the Parker Review, which set FTSE 100 firms a target of appointing one person from an ethnic minority background to their boards by the end of 2021, 74 companies had board-level ethnic minority representation as of 2 November 2020 – the official feedback cut-off date – but a further seven had appointed directors from a minority ethnic group by early March 2021, taking the total number of firms with ethnically-diverse boards to 81.

Latest diversity stories

Most US firms ‘just going through the motions’ on inclusion

Nurse who blew whistle on race-based shift allocation wins £26k compensation

Couriers allege facial ID software used by Uber is ‘indirectly racist’

Some 124 out of the 998 board positions across the FTSE 100 companies that responded to the survey are held by 118 ethnic minority directors, compared to 95 directors in 2020. Eleven per cent sit on two or more FTSE boards.

More than a third (36%) of these ethnic minority directors identify as British citizens. Forty-six per cent are women, which is an increase of 42% compared to the previous year’s survey.

However, progress is slow in the key “functional” board roles. Only five ethnic minority directors occupy a CEO position, down from six last year, and all of whom are men. Two occupy a chair role, one man and one woman, and four men occupy a CFO role.

Sir John Parker, chairman of the Parker Review Committee, said: “Corporate Britain, in my view, is becoming more comfortable with boardroom diversity. I believe too, that the majority of FTSE board leaders want British companies to be seen, not only as the best governed in the world, but also comprising of society’s best diverse talents.

“This survey of FTSE 100 companies represents significant progress towards the target. We would hope the remaining companies in the FTSE 100, who still have time to meet the target, will ensure they follow this encouraging lead and align with the business case that underpins the review.”

Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “The progress made in the past year to increase ethnic diversity on FTSE boards is very promising, particularly given the difficult circumstances businesses have been facing.

“FTSE companies are seeing the benefits of diverse leadership teams first-hand as we build back better from the pandemic. We hope more companies harness this momentum to go further and faster to ensure our boardrooms are fully representative of British society.”

It is important to remember that FTSE 100 firms are not wholly representative of the UK’s corporate landscape, said Tracey Brady, managing director of Company Matters, part of financial services firm Link Group, who noted smaller organisations may not be as diverse.

“There are more than a thousand smaller listed companies on the main market and AIM indices, and tens of thousands of private companies. They employ far more people between them than the top FTSE 350 companies and tend to be more domestically focused, meaning they reflect UK company leadership and the lived experience of the UK workforce much more than their very large, often global, counterparts,” she said

“Our findings show that out of a total of 326 AIM UK 50 directors, 97% are white, as are 95% of those in the FTSE Small Cap 100. If such large proportions of the population are not rising to the top because of their race, gender or age, then huge pools of talent are going untapped, limiting the potential for individuals and the whole economy.”

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

FTSE 250 companies were not included in this latest study, but they will be surveyed towards the end of 2021 as they work towards a “One by 2024” target.

D&I opportunities currently on PT Jobs

More D&I jobs

Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is a former editor of OHW+ and former HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support.

previous post
Care home employee told to stay at work despite positive Covid-19 test
next post
Spain to be first in EU to give gig economy workers employee rights

You may also like

One in eight senior NHS managers from black...

1 Jul 2025

Progressive DEI policy is a red line for...

27 Jun 2025

BBC Breakfast bullying and misconduct allegations under investigation

20 Jun 2025

Finance professionals expect less emphasis on ESG and...

18 Jun 2025

Lack of role models a ‘barrier’ for people...

17 Jun 2025

Pride 2025: why corporate allyship still matters

16 Jun 2025

HR is second ‘most sexist profession’ survey suggests

13 Jun 2025

Racism claims have tripled and ‘Equality Act is...

12 Jun 2025

Fewer workers would comply with a return-to-office mandate

21 May 2025

Redefining leadership: From competence to inclusion

21 May 2025

  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+