Inga Beale, chief executive of the Lloyd’s of London insurance market, has become the first woman — and the first openly bisexual person — to top the league table of the top 100 LGBT executives.
Ms Beale, one of four bisexual business leaders in the list, displaces Christopher Bailey, the chief creative officer and chief executive at Burberry, who, a week after a profit warning, tumbles from the top of the rankings down to eighth place.
Alan Joyce, the chief executive of Qantas, the Australian airline, makes his debut in the Top 100, at No 2, with António Simões, the UK boss of HSBC, dropping from second to third.
The annual list, compiled by OUTstanding, which campaigns for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in the workplace, also has its highest ever ranking transgender executive, putting Martine Rothblatt, the chief executive of United Therapeutics, at No 4.
There is also a new No 1 in the list of the top 30 “ally executives”. Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook chief executive, takes the top spot for his work championing LGBT diversity. Sir Richard Branson drops to No 2.