Sir, – Further to the comment by John Allan, chairman of Tesco UK, that white men are an endangered species in UK boardrooms ("Call to boycott Tesco over 'endangered' white men claim", Business, March 12th) , I think that even if he said it in jest it was an unfortunate comment to make in a public forum.
White men face no danger in the boardroom that people from ethnic minorities and white women do not face. Hopefully, white men are treated according to their merits – the good ones are hired and the bad ones are fired, just as should happen with women and members of ethnic minorities.
What should be endangered, however, is the notion that somehow white men have a greater right to sit in a boardroom than anyone else, and that a white male face fits better on the board of directors.
Perhaps next year the chairman of Tesco will be a woman from an ethnic minority. – Yours, etc,
LESLIE LAWLESS,
Dublin 4.