Amex, Deere, J&J Abandon Board Diversity Rule, Activist Says

American Express Co., Deere & Co. and Johnson & Johnson have dropped diversity criteria for selecting new board directors, according to a conservative shareholder activist group.Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is considering a similar change, Bloomberg confirmed earlier this week. The moves are the latest ways that pressure from conservatives is changing corporate management and governance. American Express signed an agreement in October with the nonprofit National Legal and Policy Center, an activist shareholder ...