CBI to search for new president as it overhauls working culture

theguardian.com:

Britain’s most prominent lobby group, the Confederation of British Industry, has put forward proposals for its future to its members amid the fallout from a series of sexual misconduct allegations.

As part of its drive for change, the group will start a search for a new president. The incumbent, Brian McBride, will hand over responsibilities in January 2024 after overseeing a range of changes from the board downward.

In a prospectus shared with members, the CBI sets out a range of changes to the group’s culture along with steps to rebuild ties with government at all levels across the UK before a crunch meeting and confidence vote by its members on 6 June.

Voting opens on Wednesday, with the results expected to be announced soon after next week’s meeting.

The plan comes after an open letter to members in April in which McBride conceded the organisation had “failed to filter out culturally toxic people during the hiring process”.

Developed while the group mothballed its activities in April and May, the turnaround plan aims to “transform” the CBI’s culture in the long term, the group said. It follows an independent investigation into its handling of complaints by the law firm Fox Williams and an examination of its culture by the ethics consultancy Principia Advisory.

“We are making radical and rapid changes to upgrade our governance structures and processes,” said the group’s new director general, Rain Newton-Smith.

She added: “Principia’s expert findings show that while our purpose and hard work to influence and inform on behalf of our members gives us a strong identity and motivates our staff, that focus has come at a cost. Blanket accusations of the CBI’s culture being toxic are not correct, but we have work to do to embed a