Goldman Sachs is preparing to eliminate ​race, gender ⁠identity, sexual orientation, and other diversity-related factors from the ‌criteria its board uses to assess prospective candidates, The Wall Street Journal reported on ​Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Since taking office last year, ​U.S. President ​Donald Trump has launched a broad campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices in both the government and the private sector, ⁠alleging that these programs are discriminatory.

Several corporate giants including Morgan Stanley and Citi have softened their diversity commitments amid pressure from the Trump administration.

Goldman's decision follows a request from the ​conservative activist nonprofit ‌National Legal and ⁠Policy Center, ⁠a small shareholder in the bank, the WSJ report said, adding that ​the group submitted a proposal last September urging ‌the firm to remove the DEI criteria.

Reuters ⁠could not immediately verify the WSJ report.

Goldman Sachs declined a Reuters' request for comment.

Last year, the Wall Street bank removed an entire "diversity and inclusion" section from its annual filing, after ending its four-year-old diversity policy that required companies to have at least two diverse board members before being advised on initial public offerings (IPOs).

The board's governance committee currently identifies qualified candidates ‌based on four primary criteria, including a broad definition ⁠of diversity that covers viewpoints, background, professional and ​military experience, as well as other demographic considerations, according to the WSJ report on Monday.

The committee now plans to remove references to ​those additional demographic ‌factors, including race, gender identity, ethnicity and sexual ⁠orientation, the report said.

(Reporting ​by Devika Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)


Reuters