Anstee to resign as non-exec
New ICAEW chief executive Eric Anstee is to resign his non-executive directorships.
Link: Eric Anstee: Chief among accountants
Anstee will resign from all the posts he holds before the end of the year. He will also resign from his position as chairman of Mansell, and hopes to be able to transfer those responsibilities early next year.
The clarification came as London Business School dean Laura Tyson last week published a government-commissioned report that aims to break down the ‘old boys network’ of non-executive directors.
Tyson found that boardrooms lack diversity because directors are appointed from a narrow pool of talent. And she recommended the introduction of more rigorous and transparent recruitment processes, better training and a wider search that would promote more women and minorities into the positions.
Michael Hughes, chairman of assurance services at KPMG, warned against any move towards positive discrimination. ‘It is important that boards employ people for the contribution that they bring,’ he said.
Trade secretary Patricia Hewitt argued it was vital that UK businesses look more widely for the best candidates and said the government would be looking at how it could help businesses achieve this.