Partner Doreen Lilienfeld (New York-Compensation, Governance & ERISA), Global Head of the Governance & Advisory Group), was quoted by Thomson Reuters’ Legal Executive Institute about recent developments underscoring the importance of D&I in business environments. Doreen co-chaired the Strength in Numbers conference and served as a key speaker, where she outlined the following reasons for increased deference to diversity:

• Focus of institutional investors on environmental sustainability and governance, especially for retailers being asked if their boards of directors and C-level executives reflect the buyers of the products;
• The change in the IRS rule that makes performance-based bonuses over $1 million deductible; and
• The #MeToo movement.

As the global head of the Governance & Advisory Group at Shearman & Sterling, Doreen is intimately familiar with the changing corporate landscape as it relates to compensation and governance. Drawing upon this knowledge, she provided two examples of the growing emphasis on inclusion:

• Google employees calling for a diversification of management by means of a shareholder; and
• Citi’s decision to publicly disclose its gender pay gap.

Lilienfeld’s highlights of these discussion topics continue to inform and remind employers just how important diversity and inclusion is.

Read the full blog post, “Strength in Numbers: Reframing the Role of Enterprise in Corporate Culture.”