Hopes fade for list of non-execs to widen gene pool in boardrooms

Laura Tyson, the management expert appointed by the Government to identify 100 potential new non-executives to widen the gene pool of UK boardrooms, has signalled that she may not go through with the task.

The planned list, which is intended to contain a high number of women and other groups not usually present on City boards, is becoming increasingly contentious because many factions within the City think the project is irrelevant and unhelpful.

Ms Tyson is also thought to be very sceptical about the task and so is the Equal Opportunities Commission, which is going to be part of the working party considering ways to boost the number of women, ethnic minorities and people whose background is in the public sector and charities.

Ms Tyson, who is also Dean of London Business School, yesterday denied a rift had developed between herself and the Department of Trade and Industry over the project, which was set up after the Derek Higgs report last month on ways to boost the role of non-executives in the boardroom.

"I want to do a good job for the DTI. But that I will develop a list is not written in the document," Ms Tyson said.

Ms Tyson is more enthusiastic about finding ways to encourage companies to widen their net when looking for new non-executives than to come up with examples of possible recruits – a task she believes headhunters could take charge of.

However, Ms Tyson, a former chief economic adviser to President Bill Clinton, emphasised that she has not ruled the task out, saying she would decide once she had "called together the group and talked it through".

Julie Mellor, chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission, has also privately expressed doubt that the list would address the lack of variety on boards.

Ms Mellor said: "We very much hope we can widen the gene pool but I wouldn't want a list to be seen as the answer. The issue is wider than that."

The mood in the Tyson camp is at odds with the DTI, which insisted that it expected a list of 100 possible new non-executives for companies to consider employing to be produced.

A DTI spokesperson said: "It is our understanding that Laura Tyson will come up with a list of names."

Mr Higgs, who published his report last month, found that women make up 4 per cent of Britain's directors and less than 1 per cent of chairmen. Ethnic minorities account for just 1 per cent of directors.