UK'S FTSE COMPANIES FAIL ETHNIC MINORITIES
(20/06/2003)

The only Asian candidate in the race for London Mayor, Ram Gidoomal, says he will haul-in the heads of top FTSE companies into City Hall to discuss their failure to promote ethnic minority business figures onto their boards. The Christian Peoples Alliance Leader is a recent Chair of a Cabinet Office Better Regulation Taskforce group looking into anti-discrimination measures in industry.

According to Mr Gidoomal, business and commerce have failed to rise to the challenge of racial inclusion by self-regulation. Political action is now required. Commenting on the publication today of a government-backed report into boardroom discrimination by the head of the London Business School, Laura D'Andrea Tyson, Mr Gidoomal said: "The Tyson report follows swiftly on the back of the Higgs committee recommendations and relies on self-regulation and the goodwill of industry. But lots of good wishes and empty promises have delivered nothing and will continue to deliver nothing. The fact is that there are just a handful of black and Asian business figures on the board of the top 100 FTSE companies. I will act to change that."

The Tyson Report calls for an annual census on boardroom diversity, a more transparent process for recruiting non-executives and new guidelines on training for directors.

A former Chairman of the business group, 'Race for Opportunity' in London, backed by companies such as Lloyds, Boots, British Airways and others, Mr Gidoomal added: "Government must act and political leaders in London must act. As London Mayor, I will haul in business leaders to discuss my ideas for high-level secondments to their firms, raise the prospect of contract compliance for bidders for public schemes, company sponsorship of MBA courses for rising achievers and the introduction of measurable anti-discrimination policies, such as an end to the use of all-white headhunters. Fund managers for the big public sector pension funds and ordinary shareholders will also be commanded into action; if board level pay can be made an issue at company AGMs, then so can racial discrimination."

Leading business figures in the capital are backing Ram Gidoomal in his campaign for London, including Tim Melville-Ross, Chairman, Investors in People and Former Director General, Institute of Directors; John Whitney, Capital Radio's first Chief Executive and Former Director General of the Independent Broadcasting Authority; and leading businesswoman and recent Chair of the RSA, Prue Leith.

ABOUT RAM GIDOOMAL

Ram Gidoomal is an entrepreneur, and former UK Group Chief Executive of the Inlaks Group, a multinational business with seven thousand employees. He and his family were forced to leave wealth and prosperous business interests behind them when they came to Britain from East Africa as refugees.

Made a CBE in 1998 for services to the Asian Business Community and Race Relations, he is Chairman of Employability Forum, helping refugees into jobs and a council member of the Institute for Employment Studies and Chairman of the South Asian Development Partnership.

He announced his intention to run for London Mayor ealier this year.

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