Ethnic minority representation on boards stalls despite government review

Progress on increasing ethnic diversity in company boardrooms stalled last year, according to new research.

The number of new directors from self-declared ethnic minority backgrounds dropped for the first time since records began in 2019, according to analysis by Spencer Stuart headhunters of the UK’s biggest 150 publicly listed firms.

Experts cautioned that the lack of progress could be linked to a “one and done” attitude after government-backed targets were introduced.

A review by Sir John Parker into the issue led to a target that all FTSE 100 companies should have at least one director from an ethnic minority background by December 2021. Currently, 96 FTSE 100 firms meet that benchmark for directors.

The latest data from Spencer Stuart shows however that only 4% – or seven individuals – of the 196 new directors appointed in the year to April were from a self-declared ethnic minority background.

This represents a significant slump from the 15% of new directors from the previous financial year. Currently, a total of 12.5% of all directors are from an eth