Shilpa Tiwari: Neutrality is a path to irrelevance

2 min read · January 31, 2025
New Power Labs

Last week, President Trump published an executive order, "Protecting Civil Rights and Merit-Based Opportunity by Ending Illegal DEI," terminating DEI practices in federal contracting and directing agencies to combat what it deems as private sector discrimination.

In recent years, we have witnessed affirmative action in US universities under siege and programs designed for historically overlooked groups facing legal repercussions across Canada and the US. 

Shilpa Tiwari, an ESG consultant and founder of No Women No Spice, wrote in her recent Corporate Knights article: "As quickly as corporate DEI policies rose to prominence, the scaffolding of modern, resilient leadership has started fraying at the seams. What was once a surge of commitment to equity is now under relentless attack, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.”

The new executive order frames DEI as divisive and harmful, calling for corporate neutrality. Neutrality, however, as Tiwari notes, “upholds the existing system of exclusion and inequality, allowing companies to disengage from meaningful change under the guise of impartiality.”

Neutrality ignores the crucial role of diversity, equity, and inclusion in business success and in attracting the emerging workforce of Gen Z talents. In this context, neutrality is not an option, it is a path to irrelevance. 

When diversity and inclusion is not convenient and cannot offer instant brand-name gratification, performative initiatives are the first to go. This also uncovers an opportunity for organizations with genuine commitment to DEI to unlock its benefits. Tiwari suggested that resilient DEI strategies share three key characteristics: core business integration, sound and sustainable infrastructure, and deep impact over loud gestures. “In a world where visibility can make you a target, DEI doesn’t need to be loud to be effective,” notes Tiwari.

Narinder

New Power Labs

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