Tesco chief blasted over ‘endangered male bosses’ claim
TESCO chairman John Allan yesterday tried to quell a growing public backlash after describing white men as ‘an endangered species’ in the boardroom.
His comments at a retail industry conference last week prompted widespread condemnation.
But Mr Allan insisted yesterday that he was a ‘committed advocate of greater diversity’.
In his original remarks, to a room of aspiring non-executive directors, Mr Allan said: ‘For 1,000 years, men have got most of these jobs. The pendulum has swung very significantly the other way.
‘If you are a white male, tough. You are an endangered species and you are going to have to work twice as hard. If you are female and from an ethnic minority, and preferably both, then you are in an extremely propitious time.’
The comments sparked outrage on social media, with several commentators calling for a boycott of Tesco supermarkets.
On Twitter, former Labour frontbencher Yvette Cooper highlighted Mr Allan’s ‘endangered species’ quote, commenting: ‘Says the man who chairs a board of 11, eight of whom are white men! No words.’
Mr Allan, who earned £660,000 last year for his work as Tesco chairman, said yesterday: ‘I would like to clarify the remarks I made earlier this week.
‘The point I was seeking to make was that successful boards must be active in bringing together a diverse and representative set of people. There is still much more to be done but now is a good time for women to put themselves forward for non-executive director roles. ‘In all the organisations I have been involved in, I have been a committed advocate of greater diversity and very much regret if my remarks have given the opposite impression.’ Mr Allan had previously been reported as describing the ‘endangered species’ comment as ‘humorous’, adding: ‘Clearly white men are not literally an endangered species.’