Queers, Closets, and Corporate Governance

By Darren Rosenblum August 21, 2024 by renholding

Over the past couple of decades, we’ve witnessed enormous progress on LGBTQ+ issues. As a result, the closet remains largely off people’s radar – but for the generation of those who occupy corporate leadership positions, it’s very much a live …

Is DEI Valuable to Investors?

By Hoa Briscoe-Tran June 27, 2024 by renholding

In recent years, corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives have become a hot topic in boardrooms and beyond. While many companies have embraced these efforts, investors have started to question whether DEI initiatives are truly valuable or merely a …

Do Board Diversity Mandates Violate Free Speech?

By Salar Ghahramani January 12, 2024 by renholding

In a forthcoming article, I explore an often overlooked yet important facet of corporate governance: the interplay between state-mandated board diversity and First Amendment rights. My focus is on instances where states obligate corporations to meet specific quotas for board …

The Jigsaw Puzzle of Corporate Diversity Is Missing Some Pieces

By Akshaya Kamalnath July 3, 2023 by renholding

In a new book, I argue that the conversation about diversity in corporations (legal rules, policy discussions, academic writing, and media narratives) is missing some vital pieces. This means that we are making rules without understanding the full picture …

How Behavioral Ethics Might Improve DEI Initiatives

By Veronica Root Martinez June 26, 2023 by renholding

For decades, companies have expressed support for the idea that their organizations should increase their demographic diversity while establishing a culture of inclusion. In practice, these firms have generally been unsuccessful. The challenge presented when attempting to match the diversity …

Social Washing or Credible Communication?

By Nathan C. Goldman and Yuan Zhang November 15, 2022 by renholding

Investor demand for information about firms’ environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments has prompted substantial corporate disclosure of their ESG activities. However, these disclosures often raise questions of “social washing,” where firms make unsubstantiated claims or misrepresent their company as …

The Attack on Nasdaq’s Board Diversity Rule

By Darren Rosenblum, John Livingstone, Anat Alon-Beck and Michal Agmon-Gonnen September 13, 2022 by renholding

The recent pushback by conservative legal groups against equality and diversity on corporate boards has accelerated to new levels in the past few months. The latest example is a challenge to Nasdaq’s board diversity rule, which was approved in August …

SEC Enforcement Chief Speaks on the Need to Police Crypto

By Gurbir Grewal September 12, 2022 by renholding

This morning,[1] I’d like to return to a theme I’ve touched on repeatedly in speeches throughout my first year on the job, and that is the urgent need to restore trust in our institutions, government, and the legal and …

ISS Discusses Progress in Racial and Ethnic Diversity on U.S. Boards Since 2020

By Fassil Michael July 13, 2022 by renholding

The summer of 2020 was a turning point in the push for corporate diversity and inclusion initiatives. The tragic murder of George Floyd and the reactions that followed it resulted in demands for racial equality and anti-racism measures that resounded

…

Do Jobseekers Value Diversity Information?

By Jung Ho Choi, Joseph Pacelli, Kristina M. Rennekamp and Sorabh Tomar February 25, 2022 by renholding

Recent social movements have generated a renewed emphasis on promoting diverse and inclusive workplaces. For example, institutional investors have increased their investments in firms that demonstrate strong commitments to diversity, and regulators also increasingly require firms to describe the extent …

Arnold & Porter Discusses NY Financial Regulator’s Collection of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Data

By Robert Azarow, David Freeman, Michael Mancusi, Monique Holmes and Howard Hyde September 8, 2021 by renholding

On July 29, 2021, the Superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) issued an Industry Letter (Industry Letter) announcing its new initiative to support diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts by collecting and publishing data on …

SEC Chair Calls for Transparency on What Funds Mean by Sustainability and Diversity

By Gary Gensler July 8, 2021 by renholding

Thank you for the kind introduction. I enjoyed chatting with you a couple of weeks ago, Ed, and it’s good to meet with the whole committee for the first time.

I’m grateful for your time and willingness to give us

…

Wachtell Lipton Discusses Key Corporate Governance Issues for Mid-Year 2021

By Martin Lipton, Steven A. Rosenblum and Karessa L. Cain June 28, 2021 by renholding

Last year, we did a mid-year edition of our annual Thoughts for Boards of Directors to highlight key issues and considerations in managing the challenging business environment and profound upheaval caused by the pandemic. Many of these issues are still …

Why Board Diversity and the Nasdaq Rule Requiring It Make Sense

By Richard W. Painter April 26, 2021 by renholding

In December 2020, Nasdaq asked the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to approve a new boardroom diversity rule.[1] The aim is for most Nasdaq-listed companies to have at least one director self-identifying as a woman and another self-identifying as …

Jones Day Discusses Shareholder Lawsuits Concerning Diversity

By Nina Yadava, John C. Tang, Robert M. Tiefenbrun and Glenn R. McGillivray October 5, 2020 by Nisha Chandra

The Situation: A number of shareholder derivative lawsuits in federal court have been filed seeking to hold directors and officers of major companies accountable for alleged failures to uphold their commitment to diversity. To date, the lawsuits have been filed …

Artificial Intelligence in Hiring: Problem or Solution?

By Kimberly A. Houser August 7, 2020 by renholding

In my new paper, I explain how the creation of responsible artificial intelligence (AI) can address why women and under-represented minorities have a difficult time gaining a foothold in male-dominated industries. This is an especially important topic today as companies …

Environmental and Social Voting at the Big Three

By Caleb N. Griffin June 16, 2020 by renholding

Environmental and social (E&S) issues are an increasingly publicized component of investment management. Large fund families, including the “Big Three” of Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street, market themselves as advocates for the environment, women, workers in developing countries, and other …

ISS Discusses U.S. Board Diversity Trends in 2019

By Kosmas Papadopoulos June 20, 2019 by renholding

As the U.S. annual shareholder meeting season is coming to an end, we review the characteristics of newly appointed directors to reveal trends director in nominations. As of May 30, 2019, ISS has profiled the boards of 2,175 Russell 3000 …

Wachtell Lipton Discusses Board Development and Director Succession Planning

By Sabastian V. Niles June 11, 2019 by renholding

The intensifying spotlight turned on boards of directors and management teams by investors prompts a fresh look at how public companies approach board development, director succession planning and refreshment in advance of an activist attack, shareholder unrest or a crisis …

Diversity’s Role in Boardroom Leadership

By Joseph Mandato and William Devine April 19, 2019 by renholding

What does boardroom culture yield when a board commits to a broad embrace of diversity—including diversity of gender, ideas, ethnicity, race, education, age, and skills? Do chances improve for decisions that help lead the company to maximize its potential and …

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The CLS Blue Sky Blog

Columbia Law School's Blog on Corporations and the Capital Markets

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