Charlottesville riots: Non-profit urges PepsiCo chief Indra Nooyi to quit Trump’s advisory council
Color of Change has launched the #QuitTheCouncil campaign to convince the CEOs of ‘public-facing companies’ to ‘leave this administration isolated’.
Non-profit group Color of Change has urged PepsiCo Chief Executive Officer Indra Nooyi to step down from United States President Donald Trump’s business advisory council, Mint reported on Wednesday. The organisation, which fights for racial justice, has launched a campaign called #QuitTheCouncil to convince Trump’s advisors to resign.
“We let Pepsi know about 24 hours ago that we would be moving forward on them,” said Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color of Change. “They are a public-facing company that talks openly about diversity. Their role on this business council is that of an enabler, and they are an enabler to Donald Trump. What we’re hoping is for these companies to stop, and desert, and leave this administration isolated.”
“In the wake of Trump’s tacit response to Charlottesville – a response that has been applauded on stormfront – it is reprehensible that any CEO would continue to carry water for this administration,” Color Of Change said on its campaign website.
Besides Nooyi, Color of Change also wants Campbell Soup CEO Denise Morrison and IBM Corp CEO Ginni Rometty to break ties with Trump. However, General Motors CEO Mary Barra, who is also part of the US president’s business advisory council, has not been named.
On Monday, three CEOs – Kenneth Frazier of Merck, Kevin Plank of sportswear retailer Under Armour and Intel CEO Brian Krzanich – quit Trump’s council, following his delayed and controversial response to the Charlottesville riots, in which a woman was killed.