Apple has twice defeated a shareholder proposal which would tie CEO Tim Cook’s compensation deal to diversity among its senior executives. This year it wants to go one step further and prevent the proposal getting as far as a vote …
Investor Tony Maldonado has twice argued that failing to hire more diverse talent at senior levels will be harmful to Apple’s business in years to come.
His proposal was heavily defeated in both 2015 and 2016, and this year Apple doesn’t even want to put it to a vote.
SiliconBeat reports that Apple has asked the Securities and Exchange Commission for permission to exclude the proposal from this year’s shareholder’s meeting.
Apple’s 2016 Equal Employment Opportunity Act report shows that 73 of the 107 senior executives were white men, and only five were Hispanic and black. Across the whole company, 56% are white, and 68% are male.
Apple argues that it has already measures in place to promote diversity in the company, but Maldonado isn’t satisfied.
Apple created a new Inclusion and Diversity VP role back in May, appointing its human resources chief, Denise Young Smith, to the position. Smith is said to have a passion for diversity initiatives, and reports directly to Tim Cook.
Smith did, however, come under fire for arguing that ‘white blue-eyed blonde men’ can be diverse, later apologizing for her choice of words.
