Colgate to Defend DEI-Based Board Selection Criteria Amid Shareholder Challenge

Colgate-Palmolive plans to defend its use of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) criteria for board member selection against a shareholder proposal aiming to eliminate the practice. The company asserts that considering attributes like race, gender, and sexual orientation is crucial for global business performance, innovation, and anticipating consumer trends, especially since two-thirds of its sales are outside the U.S. This stance comes as other major corporations are scaling back explicit DEI language in their board selection policies.