Solutions

Emboldened ESG Activists Savor Next Round of Boardroom Showdowns

Armed with new tactics, investors are preparing to agitate for change at major U.S. companies. 

Photographer: Callaghan O'Hare/Bloomberg
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Mention Engine No. 1’s victory over Exxon Mobil Corp. last month to the socially conscious investing crowd and they’ll rattle off a wish list of targets that have so-far resisted calls to reform their social practices.

The possibilities include Twitter Inc., Facebook Inc., Netflix Inc. and private prisons, to name a few. The question, though, is whether the tactics Engine No. 1 used to gain three seats on the oil giant’s board are a viable method for other small activist investors to replicate against companies where they’d like faster change.