Almost 80% of 357 global senior executives report their companies have one or no minorities among its top executives, according to the latest BlueSteps Diversity Report from the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC).

The research found that this lack of diversity at the top exists despite the fact that most respondents (54%) say their companies do have an official diversity in the workplace policy.

It found that the majority of executives from North America and Asia Pacific, 61% and 50% respectively, say their companies have official diversity policies, while the majority of European executives (54%) said they do not.  

President of the AESC, Peter Felix (pictured), says: "While many companies have made inroads to reflect the demographics of their customers through diversity in the workforce, they don’t have an effective strategy for extending this commitment to the boardroom or the C-suite. With the rapid globalisation of markets and the changing face of competition, companies need a way to attract senior-level diversity candidates if they are to effectively compete and be considered employers of choice. Executive search consultants often help build a strategy for creating a board that reflects and relates to a company’s specific needs and that better mirrors its customer base."  

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