The EMpower 15 advocates are senior leaders who are not from an ethnic minority themselves, but set an example in working to create an inclusive environment for those who are.

This year the judges picked David Tyler, chairman of UK retailer J Sainsbury and one of the most senior nominees, to top the 2018 list of role models.

Advocate: David Tyler

Sainsbury chairman David Tyler for special reports.

Chairman David Tyler wants to make J Sainsbury the most inclusive UK retailer “where every single one of our colleagues can fulfil their potential and where customers feel welcome when they shop with us”. He agreed to co-chair Sir John Parker’s review of the ethnic makeup of UK boards because he wanted to understand the lack of diverse leadership in British business.

The Parker review recommended that each FTSE 100 company have at least one director from an ethnic minority background by 2021. Sainsbury’s has one board member of colour, Jean Tomlin. In making appointments, he says the retailer looks for people with specific business skills, combined, where possible, with a diverse background. “No shareholder will thank you for having a perfectly balanced board if that company is [later] going to get into trouble.”

EMpower advocates
RankFull NameCompanyJob Title
1David TylerJ SainsburyChair
2Jennifer RademakerMasterCardEVP customer delivery, international markets
3Kevin EllisPwCChair and senior partner
4Sigga SigurdardottirSantanderChief customer and innovation officer
5Stephen BirdCitiChief executive, consumer bank
6Ellis RichSupreme Songs Chief executive
7Ileana SodaniBNY MellonEMEA head of business development, asset servicing
8Matt ElliottVirgin MoneyPeople director
9James GarveyLloyds Banking GroupManaging director, head of markets
10Robert LawsonBPGlobal head of M&A
11Samantha MobleyBaker McKenziePartner
12Wendy MurphyLinkedInSenior director, HR, EMEA
13Claude BrownReed Smith LLPPartner
14Amanda GethinEYManaging partner - talent, EMEIA
15Margaret AndersonSAPSenior vice-president for SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud
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About this Special Report

Since businesses with more diverse leadership do better than rivals, this report provides a guide on how to employ a more representative workforce. The challenges range from collecting reliable data to providing role models, and eliminating bias in tech used across the economy.

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