National Grid’s diversity chief: I feel sadness over DEI backlash

Despite growing opposition to diversity initiatives in the US, National Grid chief diversity officer Natalie Edwards believes DEI leaders are more important now than ever before

Natalie Edwards Chief Diversity Officer National Grid

In the space of four years, the chief diversity officer has gone from the most in-demand C-suite role in corporate America to the target of conservative activists. 

After the US Supreme Court ruled last year that affirmative action can no longer be used in university admissions, a group of Republican state attorneys general sent a letter to Fortune 100 CEOs warning them of the potential consequences of using positive discrimination in hiring decisions.

In response to the DEI backlash in the US, many companies have rowed back on their diversity commitments. Zoom replaced its internal diversity and inclusion team with consultants, PwC dropped several of its diversity targets in the US and Eli Lilly removed any mention of DEI from its annual letter to shareholders. Outdoor-lifestyle retailer Tractor Supply Co is the latest US enterprise to cut DEI positions and abandon diversity and inclusion goals, after facing pressure from activists on social media.