Cable announces review of executive search industry’s voluntary code

Business secretary Vince Cable has announced a review into the Voluntary Code of Conduct for board appointments used by the executive search industry, established in July 2011.
Mon, 9 Sep 2013
Business secretary Vince Cable has announced a review into the Voluntary Code of Conduct for board appointments used by the executive search industry, established in July 2011.

The review will be led by Charlotte Sweeney, previously the international head of diversity and inclusion for financial and consulting group Nomura International.

Sweeney will look at the strength of the code, develop areas of accountability and identify its practical influence on the exec search industry.

It will also analyse whether women are still accounting for 30% of the initial long-lists of candidates submitted to company chairs by executive search firms.

The code, containing nine key principles of best practice, was written by the search community and launched two years ago in response to the Lord Davies report on women on boards. Momentum in tackling female under-representation on executive boards is said to have slowed in recent months.

Sweeney will be interviewing and challenging key stakeholders including chairmen, board consultants, female directors, investors, HR directors, company secretaries and other interested parties, ahead of the presentation of her a short report by the end of the year.

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