• Sir Philip Hampton today urged businesses to renew their commitment to diversity, extending a target to all FTSE 350 companies of filling one third of their senior leadership positions below board level with women
• Review finds FTSE 100 companies are on track to meet the target of having one third of board positions held by women by 2020, if they continue to meet progress made in the last three years
• The number of women on company boards has more than doubled since 2011

A government-backed review has today urged FTSE 350 companies to fill more board and senior leadership positions with talented women in a bid to make the UK a world-leader on gender diversity at the top of business.

Figures published today in the Hampton-Alexander Review 2017, chaired by Sir Philip Hampton and the late Dame Helen Alexander, reveal almost 28% of board positions in FTSE 100 companies are occupied by women – up from 12.5% in 2011. In that time the number of all-male FTSE 350 company boards fell to just 8 from 152.

This means that, with continued efforts, FTSE 100 companies are on course to meet the review’s 33% target for women on boards by 2020.

However, Sir Philip Hampton today called on FTSE 350 companies to quicken the pace of change on boards and extended the 33% target to senior leadership positions of all FTSE 350 companies. Previously this voluntary target only applied to FTSE 100 firms.

He said that at least 40% of appointments to senior positions will have to be filled by women over the next three years if FTSE 350 firms are to hit the ambitious targets.

Sir Philip Hampton said:

Some of our largest companies have made significant progress towards meeting these challenging targets, both on boards and in their leadership teams. We should be seeing all FTSE companies now making strides to improve the gender balance at the top.

This year we have seen progress pick up on FTSE 100 boards and go slow elsewhere. We must now renew commitment to this important issue for UK business to fully harness the under-utilised potential of the many talented women in the workplace.

Business Minister Margot James said:

Businesses have made great strides in recent years to increase senior female representation and now is a time for the business community to step up to the challenge to make the UK a world leader on this important issue.

We have seen time and time again that our most successful companies are those that champion greater diversity and inclusion, and our largest companies are stepping up their efforts on this issue in order to reap both the societal and economic benefits.

Lady Barbara Judge CBE, Chairman of the Institute of Directors:

Companies have substantially increased the number of female director appointments in the last few years, proving that there always were plenty of talented women out there just waiting to be given the chance to show they belonged in the board room.

The next challenge is to create a step-change in the proportion of senior executive positions held by women. In this way, we can build a pipeline of female talent to consolidate and build on the improvements we seen in the last few years.

Education Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities Justine Greening said:

Tackling inequality in the boardroom and ensuring more women get into senior leadership positions is not just good business sense, it is vital to our economy.

It is great to see some of our top companies really stepping up to address gender imbalances on their boards. We are making progress, but there is still a long way to go.

That is why we all need to do our bit to improve workplace equality. The government is continuing to work with business to help remove the barriers that can hold women back in their careers. This includes being one of the first countries in the world to require all large employers to publish their gender pay and bonus data.

All FTSE 100 companies, and 96% of FTSE 250 companies excluding investment trusts, voluntarily responded to the review’s requests for their gender diversity data. The 2017 Hampton-Alexander Review gives the most accurate picture ever of diversity at FTSE 350 companies.

Notes for Editors:

1. The initial report of the Hampton-Alexander Review was published in November 2016. The key recommendations were:
   • 33% target for women on FTSE 350 Boards by the end of 2020
   • 33% target for women on FTSE 100 Executive Committees and Direct Reports to the Executive Committee on a combined basis by 2020
   • FTSE 350 companies to increase number of women roles of Chair, Senior Independent Director and into Executive Director positions on their boards.

   This year’s report was published on 9 November 2017.

2. The government is also working to increase workplace diversity through:
   • the Business Diversity and Inclusion Group, set up in February 2017 to bring together business leaders and organisations to coordinate action to remove barriers in the workplace
   • introducing mandatory reporting of gender pay gaps in April 2017 and bonuses for voluntary, public and private sector employers with 250 staff or more. The UK was one of the first countries to introduce such measures.

3. Cranfield University will today publish their Female FTSE Board Report 2017. The supplementary report provides an overview of the representation of women on FTSE 350 boards, as well as a trend analysis of the progress made on FTSE 100 boards between 2007 and 2017.

MAIB’s report on a fatal accident when a timber deck cargo stack partially collapsed on the bulk carrier Graig Rotterdam on 18 December 2016, is now published.

The report contains details of what happened. subsequent actions taken and recommendations, read more.

Thank you Mr President.

Mr President may I start by expressing the gratitude of the United Kingdom to Madam Fatou Bensouda, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, for being here today with members of her team, and for presenting to the Security Council her fourteenth report and update on the activities of her office on the situation in Libya. The United Kingdom fully supports the work of the office of the Prosecutor, and the ICC as a whole, to bring to account those responsible for serious crimes of international concern in Libya and elsewhere.

The situation in Libya remains extremely serious and a cause for grave concern. It is deeply troubling that violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law continue to happen with impunity on a daily basis across Libya, including against migrants and refugees. We condemn the October airstrikes in Derna. The UK, along with France, Italy and the US, are monitoring ongoing acts of conflict in Libya closely. Those suspected of committing, ordering, or failing to prevent summary executions and torture on all sides must be fully investigated, and if found guilty, held accountable for their actions.

Reports of incidents of extra-judicial killings of detained combatants, including at Brak al Shati and clashes in areas including Benghazi and Sebratah, resulting in civilian casualties, are also very disturbing. While we fully support Libya in the fight against terrorism, operations carried out by those involved must not have a detrimental humanitarian impact on the civilian population, and the relevant rules of domestic and international law must be complied with. It is also imperative that as progress is made towards a political solution, security structures are reformed to ensure accountable chains of command, and the judicial system is strengthened to ensure it is robust, impartial and independent.

The UK is grateful for the ICC’s ongoing efforts to investigate alleged crimes despite the challenges presented by the ongoing security situation and political instability in Libya. We note that the OTP is determined to resume investigative activities on the ground in Libya as soon as possible and welcome the steps that it is taking to achieve that. We note the Prosecutor’s update on the cases against Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and Al-Tuhamy Mohamed Khaled. We fully support the Court’s call for cooperation from members of the Council, Libya and other states, to provide information to facilitate the arrest and surrender of these men to the ICC to be tried for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Libya in 2011. Those responsible for war crimes and other serious crimes in Libya must not escape justice. In this regard we recall the welcome that the United Kingdom, along with two other members of this Council, publicly expressed in August this year to the apparent willingness of the LNA to investigate reports of unlawful killings in Benghazi, and to recognize the arrest warrant issued by the ICC for Mahmoud al Werfalli, a member of the LNA. We hope to see progress in this case in the very near future.

We note the Prosecutor’s office has continued to collect and analyse information and evidence relating to alleged criminal acts against migrants in Libya. We encourage all states, including neighbouring states to Libya, to cooperate with the Court and, where relevant, to provide them with reliable information on human trafficking and smuggling networks. It is important that the alleged perpetrators of these crimes, like other serious crimes of concern in Libya, are held accountable for their actions.

The lack of improvement to the situation re-enforces the need for all sides to reach a political solution. The United Kingdom fully supports the efforts of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr Ghassan Salame, in this regard, and urges all parties in Libya to engage with him constructively. The United Kingdom would also like to reaffirm its support for the Government of National Accord.

The United Kingdom commends the continued engagement of the Libyan Prosecutor-General and the Libyan Representative to the Court, and encourages States and relevant international and regional organisations to assist the Libyan authorities in their efforts to build the rule of law in Libya.

Finally, Mr President, the United Kingdom believes that the Court must have the resources necessary to do its work. But it is important that these resources are used as efficiently as possible. We welcomes the steps the Court has taken in this area, and encourages the Court to continue its drive for efficiency.

Once again, the United Kingdom would like to thank the Prosecutor of the ICC for presenting her report to the Council today.

I thank you Mr President.

The deadline for new trusts to register is now 5 January 2018.

Attendees at Innovate 2017 are split down the middle on whether robots will end up taking away more jobs than they’ll create.

This came out of a panel debate involving:

The panel agreed that there were lots of areas, such as care and decision making, where there always needs to be a human element.

Hamid was of the view that lifelong learning would become compulsory to enable the take up of robotics. There will be a cycle of learn-unlearn-relearn whereby people – and their jobs – can stay relevant while still benefiting from robotic and automation technologies.

Delegates at Innovate 2017.

Innovation loans launch

Ruth McKernan, Innovate UK Chief Executive, kicked off the day with the official launch of innovation loans. A £50 million pilot programme will be run over the next 2 years.

This is a patient, flexible loan scheme for innovations that are near to market, where there is less risk involved. It is complementary to grant funding.

The first loans competition, which is now open, will be infrastructure systems deployments. It is for single, small or medium-sized enterprises, who can get up to £1 milion to work on late-stage research and development projects.

Robotics and AI for safer work

We also welcomed Minister of State for Climate Change and Industry, Claire Perry, who gave a keynote speech singing the praises for UK innovators in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI).

The Minister set out how UK experts and innovators are leading the world in this new sector, and how the nation is nurturing these new technologies.

She went on to share details of the £68 million from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund that will go to robotics and AI projects aimed at improving safety in extreme environments. This includes systems that take on jobs in the freezing oceans, nuclear energy, deep mining and space.

During her speech the Minister also committed to £16 million funding for smart energy systems. This will go towards 2 energy innovation competitions to reduce demand on the electricity grid at peak periods and to increase demand at other times.

It will build on government’s Clean Growth Strategy to fund over £2.5 billion in clean technology innovation.

New products from businesses

Also at the event there were a number of exhibitors showing their innovations for the first time. Among the new products launched were:

• a rapid diagnostic platform for quickly identifying diseases such as Ebola without the need for laboratory facilities or experts. The QuRapID by BioGene detects multiple pathogens from a single patient blood sample in less than 45 minutes
• a portable ‘Easibridge’ system for applications such as evacuation and rescue, from Bright Structures. A 16 metre bridge can be installed and crossed by just one person in under 30 seconds
• a solar-powered bench with USB points for mobile charging and WiFi. Environmental Street Furniture believe it could be used for city centres, parks and stadiums
• an automated ‘man-overboard’ detection system, which uses thermal cameras and microwave radar to detect if anyone falls from a ship or platform. Telesto Technologies believe it will be used for shipping, cruises and drilling applications
• a ‘wearable’ tent, which turns from a waterproof poncho into a tent that can be used without ropes or poles. The innovation comes from Zelter Shelter

Zelter Shelter’s wearable tent.

Design in Innovation award

Topping off the day was Innovate UK’s Design in Innovation award, which was presented to Pae Natwilai, CEO and Founder of Gettrik.

Now in its third year, the Design in Innovation Award recognise the Innovate 2017 showcase exhibitor whose project best demonstrates human-centred design processes that deliver for people. On the judging panel were representatives of the Design Council and leading designer, Sebastian Conran.

Gettrik won the award for ‘Trik’, its automated drone control and real-time inspection system for buildings and infrastructure. The judges recommended it for being intuitive and easy to use.

Pae is one of our women in innovation award holders. This was our female-only funding competition designed to get more women innovating in business and create new role models for the next generation.

Tune in

Day 2 of Innovate 2017 continues tomorrow (9 November 2017). You can catch the action by: