France is for DEI, Primark CEO #MeToo, Tesla rage, Fink’s new-old letter, and Bill Burr needs a job at ISS

1. French minister says many firms won’t respond to U.S. embassy anti-DEI letter: ‘It’s out of the question that we’ll prevent our business from promoting social progress’

1. French Minister of Solidarity and Families Aurore Berge accused US diplomats of interfering in the operations of French companies by sending them a letter reportedly telling them that US President Donald Trump's rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives could also apply outside of the United States.

2. The document said that an executive order that Trump signed in January terminating DEI programmes within the federal government also “applies to all suppliers and service providers of the US Government, regardless of their nationality and the country in which they operate”.

3. The form asked recipients to tick a box to confirm that they “do not operate any programmes promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion that violate any applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws”.

4. Aurore Bergé, France's minister for equality between women and men and combating discrimination, said that the letter is "a form, obviously, of interference. That’s to say it’s an attempt to impose a diktat on our businesses.”

1. Primark boss quits after woman complains about his behaviour

1. Primark’s CEO, Paul Marchant, resigned with immediate effect after admitting to an “error of judgment” during an interaction with a woman in a social context last year. Parent company Associated British Foods (ABF) confirmed his departure following an internal probe and cited a previous incident involving “inappropriate communication.” A previous issue of improper conduct was also investigated in the past, with “proportionate action” taken at the time.

2. "Primark boss Paul Marchant was investigated years before" – The Times ​

3. "Retailer in turmoil after Paul Marchant, 'Mr Primark', is ousted" – The Times ​

4. "Primark boss Marchant resigns after 'error of judgment' with a woman" – Reuters ​

5. "Primark boss quits after probe into inappropriate behaviour with female staff member" – The Sun ​

6. "CEO of fast-fashion brand Primark steps down after allegations of bad behavior in social situation" – Associated Press ​

7. "Primark CEO Paul Marchant resigns, admits to 'error of judgment' following investigation" – New York Post ​

8. "Primark CEO Paul Marchant steps down after allegations of bad behavior" – 6abc Philadelphia ​

9. "Primark CEO resigns over 'error of judgment' with a woman" – Fast Company ​

10. "Leadership shake-up at Primark" – LinkedIn News ​

11. "Primark CEO Paul Marchant resigns following investigation into behaviour toward Woman" – The Times of India ​

12. "Primark CEO Paul Marchant Resigns After Misconduct Investigation" – AInvest ​

13. "Primark CEO Paul Marchant resigns after inappropriate behavior allegations" – The Guardian​

14. "Primark chief executive steps down amid misconduct claims" – BBC News​

15. "Paul Marchant resigns as Primark CEO following behavior probe" – Financial Times​

16. "Primark CEO quits after admitting 'error of judgment' with female colleague" – The Telegraph​

17. "Primark boss resigns immediately after misconduct investigation" – Sky News​

18. "Paul Marchant steps down as Primark CEO amid allegations" – Bloomberg​

19. "Primark CEO resigns after inappropriate behavior investigation" – CNBC​

20. "Primark chief Paul Marchant exits following misconduct claims" – The Independent​

21. "Primark CEO steps down after admitting to misconduct" – The Irish Times​

22. "Paul Marchant resigns as Primark CEO over behavior allegations" – The Wall Street Journal​

23. "Primark boss quits amid inappropriate behavior probe" – The Daily Mail​

24. "CEO of Primark resigns following misconduct investigation" – The Washington Post​

25. "Primark chief executive steps down after admitting 'error of judgment'" – The Mirror​

26. "Paul Marchant resigns as CEO of Primark amid allegations" – The Sun​

27. "Primark CEO steps down after misconduct investigation" – The New York Times​

28. "Primark boss resigns following inappropriate behavior claims" – The Evening Standard​

29. "Paul Marchant quits as Primark CEO after admitting misconduct" – The Daily Express​

30. "Primark CEO resigns amid allegations of inappropriate behavior" – The Scotsman

1. Protests hit Tesla dealerships across the world in challenge to Elon Musk

2. Democrats are raging against Elon Musk, but some are still buying Tesla stock

1. which is the best vest: invest or divest or protest?

1. Expert blames phones as a driving factor for the declining birth rate that Elon Musk warns could lead to human extinction

1. Glass Lewis recommends votes "against" CEO pay at Goldman Sachs

1. Proxy adviser ISS urges vote against retention bonuses for Goldman CEO, COO

2. In a report sent late on Friday Glass Lewis noted the combined $160 million in retention awards the Wall Street bank gave to CEO David Solomon and to President John Waldron in January: "While we will review the impact of the additional $160 million on the Company's pay and performance alignment within the full scope of 2025, thus far, the provided discussion regarding the rationale in the proxy statement is far from robust."

1. ‘It’s woke to be anti-woke’: Macquarie boss

1. Shemara Wikramanayake

2. +10% gender influence gap: 5F/3M: top 3 are women

1. Hooters restaurant chain, known for skimpy wait-staff outfits, files for bankruptcy protection

1. Woke!

1. In Annual Letter, BlackRock’s Larry Fink Omits Climate Change, DEI, And ESG

1. What exactly is tokenization? It's turning real-world assets—stocks, bonds, real estate—into digital tokens tradable online. Each token certifies your ownership of a specific asset, much like a digital deed. Unlike traditional paper certificates, these tokens live securely on a blockchain, enabling instant buying, selling, and transferring without cumbersome paperwork or waiting periods.  Every stock, every bond, every fund—every asset—can be tokenized. If they are, it will revolutionize investing. Markets wouldn't need to close.

1. Perhaps most importantly, tokenization makes investing much more democratic.  It can democratize access.

2. Tokenization allows for fractional ownership. That means assets could be sliced into infinitely small pieces.

3. It can democratize shareholder voting. When you own a stock, you have a right to vote on the company’s shareholder proposals. Tokenization makes that easier because your ownership and voting rights are digitally tracked, allowing you to vote seamlessly and securely from anywhere. 

1. Johnson & Johnson Loses in Court Again in Bid to Settle Talc Cases

1. A judge dismissed an attempt to use a bankruptcy court to resolve tens of thousands of claims that the company’s talcum power products caused cancer

1. L’Oreal Reaches 100% Renewable Energy in Europe

1. should we still care?

1. Target can’t get its footing after its DEI program demise and a 40-day boycott against the retailer. Foot traffic at stores is down for the eighth consecutive week

1. France demands Volkswagen faces new trial over Dieselgate emissions—one of the biggest scandals to hit the auto industry

1. Disney shareholders vote to remain in embattled LGBTQ+ ranking

1. Three Areas Where Boards Spend Their Time But Don’t See Results | Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance

1. Russell Reynolds Associates

2. Ranked as top 2 board activity:

1. Strategic planning/review: 85%

2. Enterprise-wide risk review: 57%

3. CEO succession planning: 35%

4. Proactive engagement with major investors: 27%

5. Annual board and committee evaluation process: 18%

6. Crisis management planning: 15%

7. Board refreshment planning: 10%

8. Onboarding new board directors: 9%

9. Annual evaluation of individual directors: 7%

1. ADM to Cut CEO’s Bonus After Accounting Scandal Hit Shares

1. Luciano is due to receive a 2024 bonus of about $1.2 million, less than half of his target of nearly $3 million, according to a securities filing. That brings his total compensation to roughly $21.6 million, down from $24.4 million in the previous year. The move comes after ADM adjusted years of financial results due to errors in the way it reported transactions between business units. When the company announced the accounting problems in January 2024, the news erased more than $8.8 billion in market value.

1. Bill Burr Eviscerates Elon Musk

1. "Everybody is afraid of these nerds, I don't get it. They're horrible, heartless people."

2. "Like you were a f*cking nerd, nobody banged you and now you have hair plugs in your laminated face," he said. "Everybody is afraid of these nerds, I don't get it. They're horrible, heartless people."