Government under fire for hiring man to lead Women on Boards review

Sir Philip Hampton, GSK Chairman, has been appointed to Chair an independent review on increasing the number of female executives in FTSE 350 firms.

Hampton will be succeeding the work that Lord Mervyn Davies started with his initial review into Women on Boards. Dame Helen Alexander, Chairwoman of UBM, will be Deputy Chair.  

Hampton said: “I will focus on improving representation in the executive layer of companies, as well as maintaining the momentum on Boards. This means looking at the talent pipeline for female executives and emerging Non-Executive Directors to ensure we create opportunities and the right conditions for women to succeed.”

However, the announcement has been criticised, specifically the gender of the man in charge of reviewing gender equality in a corporate world that is already predominantly white and male.