The Green Park Business Leaders Index 2021 revealed for the first time in the six years of analysis there are no black Chairs, CEOs or CFOs in the FTSE 100.

The research also found that only ten of 297 (3.4%) leaders in the Top 3 roles have ethnic minority backgrounds, the same proportion as when Green Park began their FTSE analysis in 2014.

As a result of these findings Green Park is calling for action from organisations to tackle issues facing race equality, not only because it is the fair and moral thing to do, but because the success of British business post Brexit depends on it.

Trevor Phillips, Chair of Green Park comments that candidates may be recruited as “diversity window-dressing” but left out of the leadership teams key decision making. They propose the “Green Park Rule” where any spending decision above 1% of turnover must be made by a diverse group; if this is not possible, it should always be reported to the board and noted in the company’s annual report.

Mr Philips goes on to say “Business leaders have to understand: nobody cares how much they care, it doesn’t matter. What matters is what they do”

The above is a summary of an article published in The Times February 3th 2021. For the full article, please click here.  

Add as Preferred Source

Related News

News

21 September, 2026

Confessions of a Headhunter: Why Executive Search Firms Should Be More Than Order Takers

Effective executive search is not simply about taking a brief and finding a candidate who matches. It requires challengi...

News

10 September, 2026

How to Retain Leaders and Increase Productivity

Retaining senior leaders is critical to maintaining productivity, organisational stability and long-term performance. Ef...

News

7 September, 2026

My take: Three Interim CEOs placed in three months.

Three very different charities. Three very different challenges. One thing in common: each organisation recognised that ...

News

7 September, 2026

Confessions of a Headhunter: Fame Isn’t Governance

What is your rule for putting candidates forward, and why is it so important? Green Park only put forward individuals w...

News

26 August, 2026

House of Commons Launch: Asymmetric Workforce Report

The 23 July 2026 was a proud milestone for Green Park. As well as celebrating our 20th anniversary at the House of ...

News

24 August, 2026

Confessions of a Headhunter: The Friday Afternoon Truth in Executive Search

Why the End of the Week Changes Candidate Behavior, Avoiding Rushed Hiring Decisions Before the Weekend, and The Realiti...

News

3 August, 2026

Confessions of a Headhunter series: The Extra Chair in the Room

We were invited by a board secretary to pitch for a senior appointment. It was a crowded meeting, lots of stakeholders, ...

News

28 July, 2026

The Asymmetric Workforce report, explores a challenge that many organisations recognise

As Green Park marks its twentieth year as a global executive search and talent advisory firm  having helped thousan...