A change in corporate leadership
Earth Quaker Action Team started this year by dancing in the street outside Vanguard CEO Tim Buckley’s house. We brought the colorful costumes and festive music of the very Philly phenomenon that is the Mummers Parade to call on Buckley to make 2024 the year that Vanguard changes course and invests for a livable future.
Photo by Rachael Warriner
This Spring, Buckley announced that he is retiring. Under his leadership, Vanguard became the world’s largest investor in fossil fuels, quit a major climate change commitment, and has voted against almost all environmental and social shareholder action at the corporations in which it invests. Vanguard’s search for its next CEO is an opportunity to choose a leader who will start taking sustainable investing seriously.
So, we showed up at Vanguard’s headquarters to remind the asset manager that people are watching what it does. We sat at the entrance to Vanguard’s campus and held Quaker meeting for worship, praying that Vanguard leadership choose a CEO who will guide the company to actually invest for a safe and healthy future for all.
Photo by Billy Wu
Now, Vanguard announced that it has chosen its next CEO: Salim Ramji, formerly of BlackRock. This is the first time in Vanguard’s history that an outsider has taken the helm. This moment offers a chance for the asset manager to correct its course, and finally take action on the risk that climate change poses to its customers’ investments, the global economy, and the future of life on Earth.
No matter where you are, whether you can join us in action at Vanguard or not, you can add your voice to the many others from across this campaign asking Vanguard board members to push their new CEO to prioritize action on fossil fuels and environmental justice when he takes up his new post. Write a message to Vanguard’s board members today!
Top photo by Rachael Warriner
