A recruitment firm that posted an IT advert on behalf of a client asking for someone ‘preferably of Indian origin’ has responded to calls of racism following an article in the Daily Mail.

Laurie Boyall, managing director of McGregor Boyall, told Recruiter: “The client had inserted the phrase ‘candidates of Indian origin preferred’. The individual responsible for converting the job description into an advertisement, rightly and in accordance with our procedures, deleted the comment in one advert placed on a website, but failed to remove the statement from an advert placed on another website.

“McGregor Boyall has an unqualified commitment to diversity and regardless of any client’s request, will always produce, through a lawful process, the best quality candidates for clients.

“If clients ever make a request which we consider to be potentially discriminatory, we educate the client as to why it is not lawful, and indeed not in their best interests as it may exclude the best candidates, and provided we have their agreement we place appropriate advertisements,” said Boyall.

“If clients insist on acting in a manner that we consider may be unlawful, we refuse to accept the instruction.

“In the case in point this was simple individual human error which was regrettable,” she said.

The advert was removed yesterday from McGregor Boyall’s website as the Equality and Human Rights Commission launched an investigation.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1258818/Racism-storm-38-000-Indians-job-ad.html#ixzz0iXiSRv6Z