easyJet's Carolyn McCall: 'Being introduced as a female FTSE CEO bothers me'
The budget airline boss thinks quotas are 'counter-productive', but PLCs should cast the net wider when hiring female directors.
EasyJet boss Carolyn McCall stands out as one of only five female chief executives in the FTSE 100 (six when Alison Brittain takes over at Whitbread in December). But she’s not all that happy about being identified that way.
‘Being introduced as a female FTSE CEO is slightly bothering to me, because I kind of think I’m just a CEO,’ she told the MT Live conference in London yesterday (although it’s arguable one of the reasons her profile is so high is because she’s a woman).
‘I just find it sad that we’re still referring to gender,’ she continued. ‘I will do anything to support women, but… it’s got to be based on merit.’