Based on this Q&A excerpt, Morgan Stanley Investment Management’s executive director of global stewardship Drew Hambly's interview with Proxy Insight (page 7) signaled welcome sensitivity to privacy and other legitimate concerns directors may have about demographic diversity disclosure:
Q: What trends do you think will gain traction in 2021, regarding ESG concerns in the corporate world?
A: The Black Lives Matter movement has spurred a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), so we expect this topic to gain more attention in 2021, especially at board level. We are cognizant that some directors may not want to be pigeonholed, so perhaps boards could disclose data at an aggregate level.
Not surprisingly, aside from DE&I, Hambly expects increased investor scrutiny of companies' climate change risk-related practices in 2021, and another proxy season characterized by virtual-only (or hybrid) meetings.
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This post first appeared in the weekly Society Alert!