BOARDROOM DIVERSITY
Tesco chairman retracts remarks about ‘endangered white men’
John Allan says his point was successful boards need to encourage diversity
London — Tesco chairman John Allan backtracked on his comments about the disadvantages for white men in corporate boardrooms as critics urged greater diversity of the retailer’s directors and some shoppers said they would boycott the UK’s biggest supermarket chain. "The point I was seeking to make was that successful boards must be active in bringing together a diverse and representative set of people," Allan said on Saturday on Tesco’s website. "There is still much more to be done but now is a good time for women to put themselves forward for nonexecutive director roles." At a conference in London on Thursday, Allan had said white men were an "endangered species" on boards and had to "work twice as hard". Appearing on a panel about aspiring nonexecutive directors, he said women with an ethnic background were "in an extremely propitious period". Allan later said the comments were meant to be funny. Investors and government officials are demanding greater diversity in company managem...
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