CBI scandal could deter women from joining City, top financier tells Sunak
The top City fund manager Helena Morrissey has raised concerns with the prime minister that the scandal at the Confederation of British Industry could deter women from entering the City.
Morrissey, one of the highest profile executives in the City and a campaigner for equal pay and opportunities, said she was “personally worried that this might put women off joining industry”.
Rishi Sunak was taking questions from executives at the Business Connect event in London, where the government had gathered 200 business leaders.
Morrissey said to him: “We need everyone to feel they’ll be respected and included if they join industry. It’s a bit of the elephant in the room but we’re meeting as horrible allegations swell around the CBI.
“I’m not expecting you to comment on that but I am personally worried that this might put women off joining industry, and I wondered if you’re concerned about that and if there’s anything that might help in the future as the dust settles?”
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is the UK’s most prominent business lobbying organisation. It is a not-for-profit organisation founded by royal charter in 1965, after a merger of older employer bodies.
It claims “unrivalled” access to government. It also claims to have the biggest number of policy specialists outside of Whitehall, the seat of the British government, in order to support its 190,000 business members, which are the chief source of its income. Its total income was £25m in 2021, of which £22m was from membership fees.
Its membership is composed of direct members and members of other trade bodies.
Its 1,500 direct members are businesses that actively hold membership. Fees vary significantly: top-tier businesses can pay £90,000 annually, some
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