Retail 100 exposes lack of BAME industry leaders

In previous years when Retail Week has unveiled the Retail 100, we would always lament the lack of gender diversity among the top 100 leaders shaping retail. Features editor Gemma Goldfingle asked: “Where are all the women?”

This year’s list sees a shift. More women are featured than ever before in the ranking’s history with 23 women leaders – up from 18 last year. 

However, while gender diversity is rising up the agenda – albeit slowly – the list raises another pressing issue: the lack of ethnic diversity and BAME representation in retail.

At a time when Black Lives Matter has heightened the need for brands to stand for equality and empowerment – particularly in diversity among boards and c-suites – it is disappointing that only 10 leaders in the Retail 100 are people of colour and only one is black.

John Lewis Partnership chair Dame Sharon White, 17th in the list, is the only black leader.

Sadly, the absence of black leaders in retail is reflected across business. In the UK, only one chief executive of the FTSE 100 companies is black, while there are only four black chief executives in the global Fortune 500.

When last year’s Retail 100 was published, we asked retailers to take a look at their business and ask: when it comes to promoting gender diversity in my business, am I doing enough?

This year, we urge all businesses to stop thinking of diversity and inclusion as simply a gender issue.

Instead, retailers need to ask themselves this question: when it comes to promoting all types of diversity in my business – including BAME, gender, LGBTQ+, disability and social mobility – am I doing enough?

Next week, we’ll bring together over 2,500 retail staff and leaders at the Be Inspired virtual conference, Europe’s largest diversity event, where we’ll host a session on how to support black people right now and effect real change. I would encourage you to join us and be part of the conversation.