ESG & DE&I

A mix of stricter rules, shifting investor sentiment and increased behind-the-scenes engagement is reducing the visibility of ESG activism in the US The number of ESG shareholder resolutions filed at US companies has dropped sharply in 2026, research shows, reflecting a shift in the political and regulatory environment as well as changing corporate strategies. According to the recent Proxy Preview 2026 report released by As You Sow and Proxy Impact, investors have submitted 184 ESG-related proposals so far this proxy season, compared with 355 at the same point last year. The decline of roughly 48 percent signals a significant change…

The move signals heightened scrutiny for corporate diversity programs, raising questions about disclosure, policies and the risk of lawsuits The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) under acting chair Andrea Lucas has launched a major public awareness campaign and revised guidance on discrimination related to DEI matters in the workplace. The move could reshape how companies approach disclosure of DEI initiatives, how they craft corporate policies and which legal risks employers may face. On EEOC’s official LinkedIn page the agency posted a video and statement titled ‘DEI and the law: how to recognize discrimination – and what to do about…

AT&T’s settlement with New York City pension funds over a blocked workforce diversity proposal is poised to reshape how companies approach DEI and ESG disclosures On the latest episode of the Governance Matters podcast, senior reporter Natalie Bannermanruns down the latest stories from across the GRC space. Top of mind right now is the SEC’s director for the Division of Enforcement setting a ‘back to basics’ approach to enforcement policy. We also discuss SEC chairman Paul Atkins sharing his thoughts on why ‘woke priorities’ are slowing IPOs and capital markets, plus the Delaware Supreme Court’s reversal in the Moelis& Company…

This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web Capital markets digitized trading decades ago, but the infrastructure governing ownership, voting and settlement still belongs to an earlier era. Now, pressure from issuers, investors and regulators is forcing a deeper overhaul across transfer agency, custody and exchange operations. Real-time share registries, automated compliance, AI-driven investor services and blockchain-based voting are moving from the realm of the conceptual to the actual, even as institutions navigate complex regulatory and operational constraints. Legacy architecture under strain David Yermack, professor of finance at the New York University Stern School of Business and…

ESG isn’t a belief system. It’s how risk shows up in financials There is a growing habit – mostly American, often loud – of treating ESG as a single cultural package: climate,DEIand whatever social flashpoint dominates the cycle. It makes for sharp copy. It is also a category error in the markets where stewardship decisions are actually made. In the UK and EU, ESG is regulated process: rules, disclosures and supervisory expectations designed to surface financially material sustainability risks. Think less ‘cause’, more ‘cash flow’. Across the UK and Europe,faith-based investinghas long been expressed through formal, responsible-investment practice rather than…

Sister title IR Impact talks to the family shop wielding outsized influence with its ESG-skeptic voting policies Bowyer Research first came to the attention of IR Impact – and many on the mainstream governance scene – when the firm’s ESG-skeptic voting policies were picked up by ISS. Today, those policies are available through all the major proxy voting advisory firms and Bowyer Research, which is essentially a mom-and-pop (plus kids) shop run out of Pennsylvania, advises many millions of dollars, including the $57 bn Texas Permanent School Fund. Jerry Bowyer, who co-founded the firm with wife Susan, feels the right…

Television broadcasting company Graham Media Group has announced the appointment of Michael Storm, formerly of The Walt Disney Company, as its new vice president and general counsel. In his new role, Storm will oversee all legal matters for Graham Media, providing strategic counsel on corporate operations, employment and labor relations, regulatory compliance and business development initiatives. The company adds that he brings ‘extensive experience in media law, talent and entertainment contracts, and labor relations from his distinguished career’ at Disney, where he served as senior counsel for the company’s entertainment division. Previously, Storm served as labor relations manager for Disney…

As companies brace for California’s climate reporting rules to come into force in 2026, we explore what this will mean for GRC professionals In 2026 the state of California is set to enforce two landmark climate disclosure laws: Senate Bill 253 (the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act) and Senate Bill 261 (the Climate-Related Financial Risk Act). As such, governance, risk and compliance (GRC) professionals will play a key role in integrating the regulatory demands into enterprise risk-management and reporting frameworks. The rule set SB 253 requires companies doing business in California with annual revenues exceeding $1bn to publicly report their greenhouse-gas (GHG)…

Global sustainability reporting has hit a great reset Sustainability reportingis entering a new era. Regulatory shifts, evolving standards and rising stakeholder expectations are reshaping the landscape, creating both challenges and opportunities for organizations worldwide. Demand for consistent, comparable and decision-useful information continues to push voluntary standards toward harmonization, while jurisdictions move closer to mandatory frameworks. The result: a reporting environment that is more complex, but also more transparent, globally aligned and investor-focused. Global snapshot US:While the SEC’s climate disclosure rule is paused, states are moving ahead. California’s SB 253 and SB 261 require Scope 1, 2, and (eventually) 3 GHG…

This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web —SEC chair Paul Atkins has urged the commission to revisit rules requiring companies to include shareholder proposals on ESG issues in proxy statements. Speaking at the University of Delaware, Atkins said his Shareholder Proposal Modernization initiative aims to reduce political debates in shareholder meetings and refocus on essential corporate matters like director elections. He argued that many ESG proposals address topics unrelated to a company’s core business, creating unnecessary costs and distractions for management. Atkins asked SEC staff to review whether Rule 14a-8, first adopted in 1942 to enable…