Hot on the heels of the FTSE Women Leaders Review published a few days ago, yesterday saw the publication of the Parker Review report on ethnic diversity across the FTSE 350 boards and senior management teams.  

The Executive Summary makes for interesting reading: there has been “continued progress in overall ethnic minority representation at board and senior management levels, particularly in the FTSE 100”, but there are ‘mixed findings’ between different minority groups and types of company and seniority. 

It is reported that 98% of the FTSE 100 companies (up from 95% last year) currently meet the target of at least one ethnic minority director on their Board but the story is very different for the UK's 50 largest private companies.  The 2026 Parker Report suggests that only 42% of them (a reduction from last year) meet that target which means there is a monumental effort that will be required to hit the target for the UK's 50 largest private companies by 2027. 

In addition to that, the Parker Review identified a disparity between Black and Asian Directorships in the FTSE 350, noting that it had widened further between December 2024 and December 2025; that statistic demands focussed attention on identifying and addressing the root causes of that difference to improve those outcomes for next year, and there is an interesting case study from TBS in the report and its successful Ignite Programme designed to do just that.  

Progress is possible but not inevitable and it is fragile. Targets can open doors but sustained, intentional action is what creates meaningful change; remain vigilant.