own company has not stood as an example to others by having black executives.

Delegated Affairs Minister the Hon. Sir John Sharpe, the chairman of the Tumim implementation committee, is also the chairman of Purvis Ltd.

The company has been nearly wound down over the last couple of years, but was once active in food distribution, office equipment, computer supplies and other areas.

Steps to address institutional racism were called for in Judge Stephen Tumim's 1992 Report of the Criminal Justice Review Board, which was recently debated in the House of Assembly.

At the end of the debate, Sir John told The Royal Gazette his committee might wish to interview major local businesses and financial institutions, confront them about their lack of blacks in top management, and "get their responses on how they feel they can address it.'' Asked yesterday to describe the record of Purvis in having blacks in top jobs, Sir John said: "Purvis Ltd. was much like the other major Bermudian businesses -- founded, owned and managed by whites, at least at the executive level.

"But within the past 10 or 15 years we've had a number of black departmental managers. Had they stayed, and had the company remained in business, they would likely be moving into executive positions recently vacated by whites on retirement, following, in most cases, 20, 30, or 40 years of service.

"I believe that in Bermuda over the past 10 or 15 years hiring has generally been on merit, and there are now a lot of good younger people, black and white, close behind the retiring white executive hierarchy.

"Hopefully, therefore, there will be an accelerating change in the complexion of executive management in the foreseeable future.

"But as I said, the committee will be interested in meeting with the larger businesses and financial institutions to hear their views on the present and obvious imbalance, which sees so few blacks in top executive management positions.''