Dipesh Shah OBE advises companies to embrace “diversity of thought”
Experienced non-executive director and chairman Dipesh Shah OBE advised companies to recruit those of diverse cultural backgrounds in order to embrace “diversity of thought” at board level, although acknowledging that many companies were only just beginning this process. He was speaking at a Diversity UK panel debate on 25th November 2013 in London that also saw the launch of the Diversity UK Beyond the Glass Ceiling Representation in Public Appointments survey results. He echoed some of the report’s findings including the difficulty of completing complicated application forms for a public appointment and the need to find a mentor or sponsor to “open doors” at the right time. He spoke about his own career in the private sector, firstly at Shell and then at BP from 1976 to 2002 followed by appointments to over thirty boards in both the corporate and public sectors including being a member of the Government's Renewable Energy Advisory Committee from 1994 to 2002, Chief Executive Officer of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority from 2003 to 2006 and Chairman of Viridian plc.
The debate was hosted Diversity UK on Monday 25th November 2013 at The Civil Service Club in London with panelists including The Rt Hon Baroness Verma Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change, Labour parliamentarian Seema Malhotra MP, experienced non-executive director and chairman Dipesh Shah OBE and Diversity UK Patron Oliver Rothschild, pictured left with Diversity UK Trustees Lopa Patel MBE, Sushila Khoot and Dilip Joshi MBE.
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About Dipesh Shah OBE FRSA
Dipesh Shah has enjoyed senior roles in both the private and public sectors. He is presently Chairman of the Investment Committee of the EU Marguerite Fund and a Non-Executive Director at Thames Water and Kemble Water Group of Companies, The Crown Estate, JKX Oil and Gas plc, Cannacord Genuity Inc and Equus Petroleum plc.
He is a former Chairman of Viridian plc and served on the Boards of Lloyds of London, Babcock International Group plc and HGCapital Renewable Power Partners. Mr Shah had a distinguished career at BP between 1976 and 2002 and was a member of the Government's Renewable Energy Advisory Committee from 1994 to 2002. He was Chief Executive Officer of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority from 2003 to 2006.
He is a graduate of the Universities of London and Warwick and of the Harvard Business School management programme. Dipesh was born in India and brought up in Uganda prior to coming to the UK.