Lord Bowne: Out In The City

'Although the UK has some well-known gay entrepreneurs, only a handful of openly gay people have run the largest companies.
'These include Sir Charles Allen, former chief executive of ITV, executive chairman of Granada and chairman of EMI, currently regional ambassador for the Olympic Games. Lord Browne was another, though he stayed in the closet for years.
'There is also Michael Bishop, now Lord Glendonbrook, the ex-chairman of BMI, whose success in building up the airline led to a £223m sale to Lufthansa in 2009. He sits on the Conservative benches in the House of Lords and is a prominent voice for gay rights.

'Another is Tim Hely Hutchison, group chief executive of Hachette Livre UK, Britain’s largest publisher, an old Etonian and son of an earl. He went to Oxford, but started his business career from scratch.
'Entrepreneurs include Allegra McEvedy, the chef who co-founded Leon, the healthy fast-food chain. 'She gave up her role there in 2009 to focus on writing and television.
'In the media, notable entrepreneurs include Eileen Gallagher, founder of Shed Media, creator of the television series Footballers’ Wives. She earned £3.8m from a £100m takeover by Time Warner.
Prominent gay figures in the City have included Ashley Steel, recently promoted to be vice-chairman of KPMG’s UK arm, and Robert Taylor, former chief executive of Kleinwort Benson.'

Financial Times. 
This list was written as a postscript to a news story about Lord Browne - former head of BP - giving a talk in London on the business world's intolerance of homosexuality.

Browne quit BP in 2007 after being found guilty of lying in court about how he'd met his boyfriend.

He has said "being outed is a blessing".
His business and political careers suggest he has made a pact with Satan. 

• BBC TV News item. And Andrew Pierce putting the boot into Browne in the Mail.