'Historic day' for FTSE 100 as Glencore gets first female director

The FTSE 100 had a "historic" day yesterday after global mining giant Glencore appointed its first female director.

The group ended its pariah status as the last of the UK's largest companies to have an all-male board. Vince Cable, the business secretary, declared a "historic day for the FTSE" as the group announced the appointment of Patrice Merrin as a non-executive director. Merrin, 65, was formerly chief operating officer of Sherritt, the Canadian mining giant. Glencore's new chairman Tony Hayward said Merrin's "in-depth experience of operating across the resources sector will help strengthen the board's ability to work with the opportunities and challenges presented by the global extractive...