'White male new recruits must be approved by me to end sexism in the City

First female Aviva CEO sparks debate as she pledges to hire more women bosses

- Chris Riches

ONE of Britain's top female CEOs has revealed she personally approves every senior white male recruit as she lifted the lid on City sexism that got worse the higher she climbed.

Amanda Blanc told MPs that women in the financial services are suffering more than in any other area of business.

She became insurance giant Aviva's first female chief executive in 2020 and was asked to address the Treasury Select Committee about sexism in that sector.

Ms Blanc, 56, told MPs her company is trying to end the problem by hiring more women.

Any potential senior white male "non-diverse" recruit must get a final sign-off from her "and the chief people officer".

She added: "Not because I don't trust my team but because I want to make sure the process for that recruitment has been diverse, has been properly done and is not just a phone call to a mate to say, 'Would you like a job, pop up and we'll fix it up for you'.