"Apple Investor Presses for Diversity Among Senior Management and Directors", 4 Feb 2016

Apple Inc. investors are being asked to approve a shareholder proposal which would require the company to adopt an “accelerated recruitment policy” to increase racial and ethnic diversity among senior executives and its board. The proposal will be presented and voted on at Apple’s annual meeting in Cupertino, California on February 26. It cites Apple’s “diminutive level of diversity and its painstakingly slow implementation” of initiatives aimed at correcting the diversity problem at senior levels. According to data filed by Apple with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2015, of the company’s 103 executive and senior management positions, 3.9% were Black, 1% Hispanic/Latino, 11.7% Asian and 83.5% White. Six of the eight Apple directors are white…In its response to Maldonado’s proposal, Apple has cited efforts to increase diversity throughout its entire workforce and argued that “the proposal is unduly burdensome and not necessary because Apple has demonstrated to shareholders its commitment to inclusion and diversity, which are core values for our company.”…[Also refers to Google, Yahoo!]