Aviva chief executive Amanda Blanc has said all senior white male recruits must get final approval as part of a diversity drive to root out sexism in the financial services industry.
White Lady, who became Aviva's first female CEO in 2020He told a parliamentary committee that โthere is no non-diverse hiring at Aviva without myself and the chief people officer approving itโ.
She said: "Not because I don't trust my team but [because] I want to make sure that the process followed for that recruitment was diverse, was done correctly and wasn't just a phone call to a colleague saying, "Would you like a job? Show up and we'll arrange it for you." '.โ
Ms Blanc's comments are understood to only apply to senior hires at Aviva, which has 22,000 employees.
Blanc told MPs on the Treasury Select Committee that harassment in financial services is worse than in any other industry. The hearing was part of a review into whether sexism in the city had improved since a previous review into the issue in 2018.
Committee member Dame Angela Eagle said she was shocked by the evidence she had received for the inquiry so far, which included examples of sexual assault, bullying and anecdotes involving a "series of well-known bad apples that no one does anything about." .
Blanc suffered a torrent of sexist abuse at the FTSE 100 company's annual general meeting last year. when an investor said she โwasn't the right man for the jobโ and another asked if he should โwear pants.โ
A third shareholder said Aviva's female directors are "so good at basic housekeeping activities that I'm sure this will be reflected in the direction of the board in the future."
The insurance boss has repeatedly spoken out against the sexism she has faced in her career, revealing after last year's investor meeting that the โunacceptable behaviorโ has become worse and more โovertโ as she becomes more senior. .
She also pointed out in her resignation letter the misogyny within the Welsh Rugby Union, of which she was president between 2019 and 2021.
She said she had heard a council member say: โWomen should know their place in the kitchen and stick to ironing; โMen are the superior race.โ
The insurance industry is struggling to change after facing repeated sexism scandals.
Lloyd's of London, the insurance exchange, was forced to make a series of changes in 2019 when a report revealed a culture of excessive drinking and sexual harassment. Lloyd's only allowed women into its plant in 1973.
