ISS Shuns ‘Woke’ Activism With ESG Agenda, Proxy Firm CEO Says

ISS CEO Gary Retelny on Tuesday dismissed conservative attacks that he said brand his proxy advisory firm as “woke activists” and “social engineers” hawking an ESG agenda.

Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. has custom and general guidelines that pension funds and other institutional investors use when considering proposals from shareholders and company managers at annual meetings, Retelny said in a post published on the firm’s website. ISS gives impartial voting recommendations, he said, noting that many of the firm’s clients see environmental, social, and governance factors as important to their investment decisions.

“We are not engaged in a ...