Too often the word diversity as applied to directors of companies is seen as demonstrating representation by gender, ethnicity, religion, and possibly of age. But it should actually be about more than that, it should also be about diversity of thought and ideas.

The challenges facing businesses in the 21^st Century are becoming more complex and happening at a faster pace so it makes sense to have people at board level who think differently and can communicate their ideas.

In a recent survey carried out by Social Mobility Pledge as reported by The Times newspaper, the researchers found that by and large “who you know” was still the most important factor when promoting staff.

Sadly, the inference from this is that recruitment tends to favour like-minded people, which is hardly helpful to businesses wanting to avoid being stuck in a rut.

The ability to challenge the status quo at all levels and in particular a board level was a topic discussed in a recent vimeo by Kenneth...

Rarely a week goes by when some aspect of gender parity often defined as equality is not in the headlines.

Back in April, just ahead of a Government deadline for firms to report on the gender pay gap within their businesses, the BBC reported that nothing much had changed since the initiative was announced.

Its analysis revealed that fewer than half the UK’s biggest employers had succeeded in narrowing their gender pay gap. In fact, in 45% of firms the discrepancy in pay increased in favour of men and overall in 75% of businesses the gap was in men’s favour.

By July, the focus had shifted to the representation of women on the boards of FTSE100 and FTSE 350 companies. While representation of women on FTSE100 company boards had improved since 2011, from 12.5% to 32% according to the Hampton-Alexander review, many of the leading broadsheets were accusing businesses of adopting what they called a “one and done” policy and that any such “improvements”...

It is no secret that High Street retail has been in dire straits for some time, and clothing and fashion retail have particularly suffered.

The most recent, and perhaps most high-profile example has been the struggles of Philip Green’s Arcadia Group, comprising the clothing chains Topshop, Topman, Evans, Wallis, Miss Selfridge, Burton and Dorothy Perkins, to use CVAs as a way of restructuring.

But it is not only physical fashion retail stores that are struggling. ASOS has recently issued its second profit warning in seven months, albeit blaming IT chaos in its overseas warehouses despite overall sales being up 12% in the four months to 30th June.

Obviously, cheap prices and turning around lines quickly, have been the two main things on which fashion retail has been relying. As a consequence, clothes are often made by low-paid workers in appalling conditions, in factories located in countries like Bangladesh.

However, for some years there have been demands from...

The numbers of women leaders are not rising despite the growing calls to eliminate gender discrimination in the workplace.

There are just six female CEOs of the FTSE 100 companies and at the start of the year The Equality Trust revealed that they earn 54% of their male counterparts.

Some years ago, Sheryl Sandberg published her book Lean In, in which she argued that women should show more drive and determination, put themselves forward for daunting tasks, and showcase the same level of confidence conveyed by male leaders.

But either aspiring women leaders have been ignoring Sandberg’s advice or, if they have followed it, it has not resulted in promotion.

The “lean in” advice may even be wrong according to personality scientist Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, an international authority on psychological profiling, talent management and leadership development who argues that it could actually be counter-productive.

It is more likely, he says, that if women mimic the accepted...

The search has begun for a replacement for Mark Carney, Bank of England (BoE) governor, who is due to leave his post in January 2020.

So far, the speculated names in the frame have included Andrew Bailey, the chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority, seen as a “safe pair of hands”, Ben Broadbent, the Bank’s deputy governor for monetary policy and Andy Haldane, the Bank’s chief economist.

But also included have been Shriti Vadera, chair of Santander, Janet Yellen, former head of the US Federal Reserve, and Raghuram Rajan, economist, and former head of the Indian Central Bank.

Chancellor Philip Hammond has reportedly said that Mark Carney’s “steady hand has helped steer the UK economy through a challenging period”.

In the light of the ongoing turmoil that is a still-not-finalised Brexit, political populist turmoil and US-inspired trade wars with China and potentially the EU, clearly another “steady pair of...

It is dispiriting in the 21st Century that investors and businesses are still not recognising the equal value of women and their contribution to achieving success.

Two recent reports have – yet again – highlighted this discrepancy.

Not only did many businesses fail to meet the Government’s recent deadline for reporting on their gender pay gap but, according to BBC research, fewer than half of the UK’s biggest employers have succeeded in narrowing their gender pay gap. In fact, in 45% of firms the discrepancy had increased.

The Fawcett Society, which campaigns for gender equality, described the figures as “disappointing, but not surprising”.

More alarmingly, various reports have revealed that women entrepreneurs face an uphill struggle in getting investment finance.

Government analysis has found that less than 1% of venture capital investment in the UK goes to female-led start-ups. Its research was carried out by the British Business Bank,...