Women’s private members club criticised for appointing male chairman

Allan Leighton

A private members club for women has come under fire for appointing a man as its chairman.

Allan Leighton, a well-known businessman in the North West, has been appointed chairman of The AllBright.

Mr Leighton is the chairman of the Manchester-based Co-operative group. He was also recently linked with a role on the board of the troubled Stobart Group.

According to The Daily Telegraph Mr Leighton’s appointment at The Allbright has been criticised in some quarters.

The AllBright has some of the UK’s mot high profile woman amongst its members.

They include Martha Lane-Fox, the entrepreneur who also sits in the House of Lords, actors Naomie Harris and Ruth Wilson and Conservative MP Margot James.

The club was set up two years ago with the initial aim of raising funds to support female entrepreneurs.

It was founded by Debbie Wosskow and former Hearst Magazines chief executive Anna Jones.

Men are permitted into the London club as guests and the business has male investors and men on its advisory board.

Ann Francke, chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute, has led the criticism.

She said: “We would never see a female chair of a men’s networking club, would we? This underscores how far we have to go to get true equality in the workplace.”

The Women’s Equality Party said the appointment “seems at odds with the club’s mission to change the way the world thinks about female-led businesses”.

Debbie Wosskow has defended the appointment.

She said: “Allan really spoke to what AllBright is, we are not anti-men.

“There are so few women running FTSE 100 companies and we can’t change that unless we bring enlightened men with us on the journey.

“Allan has been a huge employer of women and is a natural champion of what we are trying to achieve.”

Allan Leighton has yet to comment on the issue.

The former Asda chief executive has  a record as a promoter of women’s networking initiatives and encourages diversity at the Co-operative Group.

 

Click here to sign up to receive our new South West business news...
Close