Sustainable Finance Newsletter - Under pressure, US companies back off DEI pay metrics

By Ross Kerber

July 9 (Reuters) - Among the various ways companies are pulling back from socially conscious financial practices, many corporations have stopped using diversity, equity and inclusion metrics to set pay for their top executives.

Farient Advisors ran some numbers on the trend for me, which you can read about below. You'll also find links to items on Nestle's chairman and problems at Air India's budget carrier before a terrible crash in June.

Please follow me on LinkedIn and/or Bluesky. Or get me via ross.kerber@thomsonreuters.com.

Under pressure, US companies back off DEI pay metrics

Tying U.S. executives' pay to corporate diversity metrics was all the rage for a few years. But that's no longer the case as companies respond to pressure from conservative activists and U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, a new review found.

Compensation consulting firm Farient Advisors found the share of S&P 500 companies who said they used diversity, equity and inclusion measures in their executive compensation plans fell to 22%, according to proxy statements filed this year. The figure was 52% last year and hit a peak of 57% in 2023.

Brian Bueno, Farient's Sustainability Practice Leader, expects more companies will follow as executives worry about their exposure to government pressure if they are seen as embracing diversity measures.

You can learn more by clicking here to read my column this week.

Company news

A budget carrier operated by Tata Group's Air India drew a reprimand in March for not changing engine parts of an Airbus A320 in a timely manner and for falsifying records. Air India has been under scrutiny since the June crash of a Boeing BA.N plane that killed nearly all aboard.

Tesla TSLA.O CEO Elon Musk mused about starting a new U.S. political party, the "America Party," reigniting concerns about his commitment to the electric carmaker and political risk for investors.

Texas company Fermi, co-founded by former U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry and looking to build four nuclear plants in Amarillo, said it is talking with large data managers on leasing agreements for the project.

On my radar

The pending departure of Nestle NESN.S Chairman Paul Bulcke follows rising investor unease including over the company's share price and concerns that its corporate governance model is out of date, according to our story.

Leaders of the BRICS group of developing nations demanded wealthy nations fund the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in poorer nations, speaking at the end of their summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Bankers, lawyers and investors expect activists to push corporations for more leadership changes, operational improvements and spin-offs in the second half of 2025, following an unusually quiet second quarter.