City Grandees In Frame To Lead Diversity Push

The chairmen of GlaxoSmithKline (Amsterdam: GO8.AS - news) (GSK) and Marks & Spencer (Other OTC: MAKSF - news) (M&S) are among the candidates being considered to spearhead the drive to promote gender diversity in British business.

Sky News understands that Sir Philip Hampton and Robert Swannell are on a shortlist of names presented to David Cameron as possible successors to Lord Davies, the former Trade Minister.

An announcement about the appointment is expected within the next week, according to one person close to the initiative.

Although the chair of the steering group is not a prime ministerial appointment, Whitehall sources said that a shortlist had been handed to Mr Cameron's officials for consideration.

Several sources said on Monday that Sir Philip's name along with that of Mr Swannell had been discussed by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Government Equalities Office in recent weeks.

The appointment was scheduled to have been made several weeks ago, and the reason for the delay is unclear.

Lord Davies stepped down from the unpaid, part-time post last year after overseeing the attainment of a target to have 25% of FTSE-100 board seats filled by women by the end of 2015.

That ambition has been revised to a minimum of 33% by 2020, and has since been accompanies by a call by the director-general of the CBI for 25% of executive management roles to be held by women.

On Monday, the 30% Club - a group dedicated to promoting boardroom diversity - said it wanted to see women holding a minimum of 30% of the directorships of Britain's 350 biggest listed companies within five years, and the same proportion of FTSE-100 executive committee roles over the same period.

Brenda Trenowden, global chair of the 30% Club, said: "Our new campaign has four key pillars - the first is to continue the work on boards to make 30% the minimum sustainable level across a wider set of listed companies; the second is aimed at developing a robust pipeline of executive and board-ready women which we plan to achieve through an executive committee target and all of our pipeline initiatives; the third pillar focuses on research and the actionable recommendations that companies can take from it; and the fourth is the international expansion of our work."

Neither Sir Philip nor Mr Swannell could be reached for comment on Monday, while Downing Street and a BIS spokeswoman declined to comment.