Erica Salmon Byrne (erica.salmonbyrne@ethisphere.com) is the Executive Vice President of The Ethisphere Institute.
It appears as if each day we see a new story about the extent to which environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives are shaping interactions between companies and their investors. This is not surprising, given the level of funds under management in ESG investments (as of this summer, about a third of total US assets).[1] But the degree of activism that has resulted from this development is requiring directors to rethink the ways in which they engage with their major stakeholders.