The incoming Trump administration could put new pressure on companies to drop race- and gender-based employment programs, a coalition of money managers stated in a warning to America’s largest companies.
Last week, 58 conservative asset managers, state treasurers, and nonprofit groups issued an open letter to more than 1,000 U.S. corporate CEOs demanding that they disclose to shareholders the extent to which they impose diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies on employees and contractors. Such programs, the authors say, could harm staff, sales, and stock prices, and create legal liabilities if they are found to violate civil rights laws.
“It’s important that these companies recognize and understand that the DEI-ESG regime is coming to an end,” OJ Oleka, CEO of the State Financial Officers Foundation and a signer of the letter, said, referring also to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles. …