U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion efforts is making waves at international companies in Europe, Asia and beyond — but only on the surface. Quietly, many businesses are standing firm on diversity initiatives.
Companies from Roche Holding to Nissan Motor have backpedaled on DEI policies in the U.S. But the Swiss drugmaker says it has no plans to change its inclusion efforts elsewhere, while the Japanese carmaker has left its international websites untouched. Volvo AB is going further: The car company hires "based on meritocracy, not quotas,” its spokesperson said, adding that positive action programs such as its tecHER program will continue.
It’s what you might call DEI by stealth — an approach that, in various forms, has started to become the new normal for global companies outside the U.S. since Trump issued an executive order on Jan. 20 entitled "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.”
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