Boardroom diversity stats fade away

Investor activists spent years pressing companies to spell out more details about the leadership of their boardrooms, on the theory more data would lead to more women and minorities running Corporate America.
    
But with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, many companies now are scrubbing their diversity disclosures, a new study found. You can read up on the trend in my column this week, below. I've also included links to stories about Norway's sovereign wealth fund and Bill Ackman's Warren Buffett-like ambitions.

Please connect with me on LinkedIn and/or Bluesky, which I really should spent more time with. Or get me via  ross.kerber@thomsonreuters.com

With U.S. President Donald Trump railing against corporate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts and axing government ones, it may come as no surprise that U.S. companies are reporting fewer race and gender details about their directors.

But the extent of the pullback is striking, said Josh Ramer, whose New Jersey company DiversIQ tracks disclosures for investors and corporate clients. 

Among S&P 500 companies making proxy filings this year, 54% gave fewer director demographic details than in 2024; last year only 7% of those companies gave fewer details, Ramer found. He said he had expected a smaller decline and said companies seem anxious about the Trump administration's rhetoric.

"I think it's extreme caution," Ramer said. "There's confusion about what's allowed, and companies just don't want to take the risk of being targeted" for criticism or legal action over their filings, he said. 

You can read my column this week by clicking the button below

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