Wednesday 11 November 2009

Fag-Ash Lil appointed as FTSE 100 Chief Executive


A woman (not the new Chief Executive of a FTSE Company) smoking

Alison Cooper’s appointment as chief executive of Imperial Tobacco means that the number of women in charge of FTSE 100 companies leapt by 25% yesterday. She joins Dame Marjorie Scardino (Pearson Publishing), Angela Ahrendts (Burberry Fashion), Cynthia Carroll (Anglo American Mining) and Katherine Garrett-Cox (Alliance Trust Finance) in the select group of women at the helm of UK companies.

She is now likely to become one of Britain's best-paid women. Last year she earned £1.3m, but she will clearly be expecting to pick up more in pay, perks and other incentives if her objective of increasing worldwide sales of the Company’s brands is successful.

Her predecessor (40 cigarettes per day) has (bewilderingly!) consistently refused to accept the direct link between smoking and lung cancer.

Ms Cooper (Occasional smoker) has yet to make public her opinion on the subject.

Guardian: Imperial Tobacco appoints FTSE 100's fifth female chief

  • Does Alison Cooper’s appointment to this role further the cause of women in senior business positions?

1 comment:

  1. Any appointment of a woman to the ‘top job’ should be celebrated. Women on top is something to cheer about I’m sure you’ll agree!

    However, for me there is a big BUT here (no pun intended). It does feel morally wrong to be celebrating a senior appointment in an industry that costs the NHS dearly. I know it shouldn’t feel any different it being a woman heading up an industry that sells death but somehow it does.

    Will be interesting to see what happens when she shares her views about smoking and cancer and see how the media handles that information. I suspect the fact that she is a woman may shape the coverage her views receive.

    Nice image by the way. Just proves that smoking can make anyone look glamorous and sophisticated!!

    EBTG

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