Tesco chairman fears for white men on UK boards

White men have become an "Endangered species" at the top of British business, according to Tesco chairman John Allan, one of eight white men who sit on the retailer's board. "For a thousand years men have got most of these jobs. The pendulum has swung very significantly the other way," he told an audience of aspiring non-executive directors on Thursday, the day after International Women's Day. Women accounted for just 29 per cent of directors appointed in the UK last year, according to headhunters Egon Zehnder - the lowest proportion since 2012. "Yes, men have to work very hard to get these positions, but my goodness so do women," said Ruth Sealy, a professor at the University of Exeter Business School. Tesco appointed women to half of the board slots it filled in 2016, but still counts just three women among its 11-strong, all white top team.

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