The Lord Mayor of the City of London today took up the Commission for Racial Equality’s Leadership Challenge and urged leaders of City companies and institutions to do the same.

Welcoming this as a decisive step for race equality in the private sector, CRE Chair Gurbux Singh said the Lord Mayor’s decision to join the Commission’s flagship initiative was ‘an exciting and important moment’.

The Challenge invites leaders in all areas of society to give a personal lead in promoting the principle of racial equality and challenges them to take practical steps to make it a reality.

The Lord Mayor, The Rt Hon Clive Martin, announced his commitment to the challenge at a Mansion House breakfast attended by a number of leading figures from the City.

Gurbux Singh said: ‘Today the House of Commons will be finalising the new Race Relations (Amendment) Bill which commits the public sector in Britain to work for race equality. This is a historic step forward.

‘It is most appropriate that on this same day we are taking part in a decisive new move for race equality at the top of the private sector. Young people from ethnic minority backgrounds are now beginning to take up careers in the City, it is important that the City responds and ensures they can make their full contribution without the interference of racial discrimination.

‘Some of the key players in the private sector have already shown that race equality is good for business. It is a message we hope others across the private sector will hear loud and clear.’

The Leadership Challenge was first launched by the CRE at a Mansion House event in June 1997 and now embraces nearly 400 leaders across the private, public and voluntary sectors, with 80 of them from the private sector. Fourteen of the private sector Leaders are from banking and finance.

The Lord Mayor signed up to the Challenge at a business breakfast in the Mansion House starting at 7.45 am on Monday 30 October 2000.

Among those who have accepted invitations to attend are: Kokichi Komagata, Chief Executive of Tokyo-Mitsubishi International; Graham Ward, President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants; Jim Buckley, Chief Executive of the Baltic Exchange; Peter Burger, Managing Director of Commerzbank; Philip Robinson from the Financial Services Authority; David Brewer, Director at British Invisibles; Tarek Benhalim, Managing Director of Goldman Sachs; David Salisbury, Chief Executive of Schroder.

The remaining stages of the Race Relations (Amendment) Bill will be taken in the House of Commons starting late afternoon on Monday. Home Secretary Jack Straw will open the debate.