Apple's head of diversity apologises for saying a group of 12 white men can be as diverse as a team with women and minorities

The first ever vice-president of diversity for Apple has apologised for saying that a room full of “white, blue-eyed, blonde men” can be as diverse as a team which includes women and people of colour.

Denise Young Smith, who is herself African American, told a conference in Colombia that diversity did not necessarily mean a range of skin colours or gender.

“Diversity is the human experience,” she said.  “I get a little bit frustrated when diversity or the term diversity is tagged to the people of colour, or the women, or the LGBT.

“There can be 12 white, blue-eyed, blond men in a room and they’re going to be diverse too because they’re going to bring a different life experience and life perspective to the conversation.”

But she later apologised for her remarks.

“I regret the choice of words I used to make this point,” she wrote in an email to colleagues, leaked over the weekend. 

“I understand why some people took offense. My comments were not representative of how I think about diversity or how Apple sees it. For that, I’m sorry.”

Ms Smith, described as the most powerful black woman in Silicon Valley, added: “I want to assure you Apple’s view and our dedication to diversity has not changed.”

Silicon Valley has a well-acknowledged diversity problem, with a report this month revealing that black and Latino representation has declined in the tech industry.

Apple’s own figures, published in 2016, show that its workforce is 56 per cent white, 19 per cent Asian, 12 per cent Hispanic and 9 per cent black. 

Its global workforce is 68 per cent male and 32 per cent female, with the gender disparity even more marked in technical roles, where women hold only 23 per cent of jobs.