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Should additional screening of "white males" in senior roles be tolerated?

Journalist: Protection 1st, Freelance

ended 19. December 2023

According to mumerous publications including The Telegraph, the Chief Executive of Aviva Amanda Blanc has stated she gets final sign-off on all white male senior recruits into this UK insurance institution.

We all likely use Aviva in one form or another - does this stance make you less likely to provide them with business? Or do you think that this is groundbreaking and forward-thinking from Ms Blanc?

And as a wider point, as more and more businesses get awards for their “diversity and inclusion”, do you think this marks real change in our industry or a huge step backwards?

12 responses from the Newspage community

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Darryl Dhoffer
Founder at The Mortgage Geezer
Ms Blanc, could well be addressing Aviva's own history of discrimination, which on one hand you could praise for women and people of colour being represented in senior roles, which she may reference that white men are overrepresented in these roles, but on the other hand, she could be discriminating on white men that are now being singled out for "special" treatment. However, this story was broken, the PR surrounding this statement, needed to be reviewed - she would have been better off stating " All senior positions will get approved for sign off by Ms Blanc, regardless of race, colour, ethnicity, particular political or religious group" - this statement alone would have been a step forward.
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Michelle Lawson
Director at Lawson Financial
Simple answer- no! What should be tolerated is that all people regarding race, gender or sexuality are assessed for a role and the 'right person' gets the job not the tick box diversity. These policies all end up going to the extreme and back where it started in a reverse form. Inclusion means including everybody otherwise it is exclusion. It should all be based on facts and ability and not popularity or targets.
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Simon Bridgland
Director at Charwin Private Clients
The decision on what company I recommend is based on what is best for the client, period.
All entities be they large companies, local authorities or charities, all have a responsibility to make sure diversity exists from the top down. They are held accountable through governance, shareholders and public opinion, often backed up with a pat on the back or award if they hit targets and shout loud enough about it. However currently, it's like a new pair of tight fitting shoes, looks good on the surface, but still feels funny under foot. There are still many steps to take before these establishments get it right and people feel comfortable. The fact that this is a thing being written about tells you it's not there yet.
Although there are countless benefits to having a diverse workforce to give drive to a business and offer a true representation of the public it serves, it should not be at the cost of the best person for the job, irrespective or age, race or gender.
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Rohit Kohli
Director at The Mortgage Stop
This doesn't sit right with me - roles should be filled with the best candidate for the job, irrelevant of their sex, age, race or anything else. Replace the word "white" with any other race or colour and there would be an outcry of people calling for Amanda Blanc to resign. I understand companies looking for how they can become more diverse and inclusive but there are ways and means to do it that doesn't mean that roles have to be screened by the CEO if they come from a certain background.
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Dave Corbett
Head Of Protection at Protection 1st
As a "liberal" from the '90s, this troubles me, we used to pride ourselves on being colourblind, yet more and more the colour of someone's skin seems to be front and centre.

At the same time, Ms Blanc was reported to have received a torrent of abuse at Aviva's AGM last year including comments such as an investor saying she was "not the right man for the job" and should be "wearing trousers" (The Telegraph, 13th December 2023).
Furthermore, I am sure that is the tip of the iceberg in terms of what she has had to endure on her rise to such a senior position.

I've worked with some God-awful human beings in my time in this industry, the vast majority of whom think they are untouchable, and these are the vast majority male. But some pretty God-awful female leaders are in their ranks as well.

So as with many things these days, I'm more confused than when I started, but still hope for the best. And I'm a white male anyway so I should just shut up probably.

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Steven Morris
Advising Director at Advantage Financial Solutions
There are a zillion reasons why certain demographics have more prevalence than others in certain domains. De facto 'oppression' is the lazy thinker's crutch. As a company, we won an award for diverse employment this year, despite my business partner writing a rather incendiary review of positive discrimination practices. In seeking talent, our company is diverse by chance, not by design. That's the difference. 'Screening out' demographics in a bid to avoid discrimination, is as intelligent as chucking cans of petrol about in a bid to put out a fire. You really do have to be a special kind of dumb; Self-proclaimed 'progressives', too stupid to realise that using fascist means to a liberal end is a non-starter.
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Adam Smith
Founder at Alfa Mortgages
Speechless! Seems like its gone completely the other way, should be final sign off for everyone, regardless of race and gender.
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Alastair Hoyne
CEO, Finanze Capital at Finanze Capital
It's essential to hire the right person for the role. The skills, attitude, knowledge and experience of a candidate all contribute to a successful appointment in any organisation. Inclusion and diversity are about ensuring appropriate and equal opportunities and making reasonable adjustments for needs, not positively or negatively discriminating against any individual or group. We must resist any form of tokenism and embrace true equality.
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Austyn Johnson
Founder at Mortgages For Actors
Ironic name...

Anyway, if she checks into one group, she should check into them all the same. It wont be long before someone waves the racism flag and then it just cascades from there. Anything outside of a suitable structure should need some extra strong recommendation and proof to enforce it.
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Scott Taylor-Barr
Principal Adviser at Barnsdale Financial Management
If Aviva has a big issue with diversity and too many senior posts are held by a certain demographic, whichever that may be, then having someone seriously look at new hires is no bad thing. However, whenever the decision comes down to just one person then does that solve the issue, or just create another, as that single person brings their own biases to the decision-making process?
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Rob Gill
Managing Director at Altura Mortgage Finance
If we genuinely want radical change we need to consider radical solutions and diversity with financial services at senior levels needs radical change.

While no one is pretending positive discrimination of any sort is a good system, current systems which perpetuate the status quo are clearly not fit for purpose. The choice is not between a good, fair process and a bad, unfair one, it's between trying to change things or keeping them as they are.
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Dr Julie Scanlon
Director at Julie Scanlon Consultancy Ltd
This feels regressive and divisive. Large organisations moved away from having one or two people sign off on a new hire a long time ago. Instead, using a panel of diverse people in decision-making reduces bias and is part of a robust hiring process.