News and Insights

To Lead or to Retreat? The DE&I Communications Crossroads for Irish business leaders

April 7, 2025

In the past fortnight, JP Morgan Chase informed its staff that it was renaming its diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) programmes to ‘diversity, opportunity and inclusion’ (DOI).

According to the internal memo, the move was to reflect that the ‘e’ referred to ‘equal opportunity, not equal outcomes’. According to a spokesperson, the bank, which has more than 300,000 employees – 1,000 of which are Irish-based, was working “to reduce barriers, not standards”.

The announcement is just the latest in a swathe of major U.S. corporates scaling back, rebranding, or even dismantling their DE&I commitments post-election. To date, over 200 US corporates have removed DE&I references from their annual reports and websites. The stated rationale and execution behind these changes has varied: some have cited compliance with federal law, whilst others have sought to soften or even rebrand their DE&I strategies, couching the language in more ambiguous terms such as providing ‘equal opportunities to all employees’. Notably Deloitte US has made headlines by instructing employees working on government contracts to remove pronouns from their email signatures. Some have been more pointed in their messaging; with Morgan Stanley asserting that “meritocracy is at the heart of Morgan Stanley’s talent development.”

A DE&I crossroads

For many Irish-based corporates, their DE&I policies were not just an act of compliance or a line-item in an annual report, it was a central tenet of their recruitment and employer brand strategy, and still is.

Therefore, while these announcements have been predominantly US-centric, many Irish business leaders – including those leading both indigenous Irish corporates and Irish subsidiaries of US multinationals – now find themselves at an unenviable DE&I crossroads. In effect, do they continue to stand over their DE&I commitments or do they follow the lead of many of their US peers by casting them adrift? Furthermore, for Irish subsidiaries of US multinationals, do they even have a choice?

A two-step dilemma

Ultimately, there are two key strands to this highly fraught dilemma. The first is the bigger ideological question: do corporates have a responsibility to uplift disadvantaged communities, or is their sole purpose to generate profit? If they do have a broader responsibility to society, are current DE&I strategies delivering change, or are they merely superficial box-ticking exercises? Inevitably, these debates will continue for some time and there are far better placed voices to debate these points.

The second is a communications challenge: as a business leader, how do you articulate your position whilst managing the potentially diverging expectations of staff, investors, customers, and media, amongst other audiences? Many find themselves caught in a bind – speak out and risk backlash from one side, or stay silent and risk alienating another.

Inevitably, corporate language is constantly evolving. In light of recent mass redundancies, the tech sector has moved away from talking in overly familial startup terms of ‘come join the Facebook Family’. Both employer and employee now recognise it is a place of work, as opposed to a benign source of unconditional loyalty.

However, DE&I is a different proposition. It is more than just the words on a website. When taken seriously, it is in the very DNA of a company’s culture, not to mention its reporting matrices. Even when it rolled out in more superficial terms – via celebratory cupcakes or token LinkedIn collateral – employees and non-employees notice when it’s gone or even downgraded.

This tightrope act facing Irish business leaders is particularly acute for Irish subsidiaries for two reasons: first, they often have less autonomy than their Irish-headquartered peers; and second, while many of these operations are significant in terms of Irish headcount, much of the strategic decision-making happens elsewhere—be that San Francisco, New York, or further afield. Therefore, when communicating externally within the Irish market, Irish country leads often have less to talk about.

Furthermore, as they compete for the best talent, business priorities dictate that they disproportionately default to focusing on employer branding, recruitment, and company culture. However, if directives from above mandate moving away from discussing these topics, what new story do they tell?

Grasping the nettle

Reflecting on all of the above, Accenture Ireland managing director, Hilary O’Meara has emerged as one of the first Irish business leaders to grasp the nettle. Despite Accenture’s global chief executive Julie Sweet announcing the abandonment of diversity targets following directives from the new US administration, O’Meara, quickly moved to clarify that the company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion remains ‘unwavering’. Others appear to be biding their time. At least anecdotally, this year’s International Women’s Day appeared to be a somewhat more muted affair amongst Irish-based corporates, versus years gone by.

With this in mind, where do Irish business leaders go from here? For some, it provides a moment of reflection. Where does DE&I fit within our organisational culture? Is it something we value? If so, is the current approach delivering meaningful results? If not, what’s the alternative? Inevitably, others will discreetly welcome the opportunity to sit on the sidelines and see which way the wind blows. Equally, for Irish corporates that view DE&I as a costly box-ticking exercise, now is a convenient window to step off the carousel.

A potentially positive outcome

Paradoxically, one potential positive outcome of this DE&I reckoning is that it may expose organisations whose commitment to DE&I was superficial. This period of uncertainty will expose those that viewed DE&I as a shiny branding exercise rather than an embedded cultural pillar. Audiences will be better placed to distinguish between those that walk the walk and those that merely pay lip service.

For Irish business leaders, this presents an opportunity. Those who genuinely value DE&I can differentiate themselves by doubling down on their commitment – both in policy and practice – demonstrating a resilient corporate ethos that withstands external pressures.

In the U.S., Apple is an example of a company that has stood firm on its DE&I commitments, with CEO Tim Cook reaffirming that the company “thrives on bringing together people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives,” even in the face of potential legal adjustments.

Ultimately, how Irish business leaders navigate this crossroads will shape not only their reputation but also their ability to build a business culture that endures beyond fleeting trends.

This article was originally published on Sunday 06 April in the Sunday Business Post.