The official work programme published last week by the new coalition government contained a number of commitments which will affect the recruitment industry.
Amongst them, the pledge to ‘promote gender equality on the boards of listed companies’ directly impacts upon the work of members of the Association of Executive Recruiters (AER), the group within the REC dedicated to representing the views of executive search and selection firms. It is an issue on which the AER is placing an increasing amount of its focus.
Commenting on the pledge, Scott Pendry, Policy Advisor to the AER said:
“Diversity at the strategic level of the boardroom is critical for both innovation and good decision-making. The diversity of a board sends an important signal to shareholders, investors, customers, the public and employees.
“Attracting high quality female candidates, is, however, easier said than done. In this respect, it is important to articulate that all members of the AER are fully committed to
initiatives which promote diversity in the boardroom and we welcome this statement from the coalition government.”
News story from REC website on 25th May 2010