Amazon will now include women and minority candidates in its board search going forward, following shareholder complaints about the company's lack of diversity.
In a public filing Monday, Amazon pledged to include "women and minority candidates" in the pool from which the company's board committee selects director candidates. The company's committee charter has been updated to include the relevant language as well.
"This policy formalizes a practice already in place," Amazon said in a statement.
The change comes after certain shareholders, led by a group called CtW Investment Group, complained about the company's lack of diversity in its board and senior leadership. In a letter last month, CtW proposed adopting a "Rooney Rule," which would require the company to include women and minority candidates in the pool from which directors are chosen.
Amazon's board had initially opposed the proposal, writing in a proxy filing that the company already "seeks out candidates with a diversity of experience and perspectives, including diversity with respect to race, gender, geography, and areas of expertise."
Amazon currently has 3 women on its 10-member board. The company's leadership has historically lacked female representation, as CNBC previously reported.
CtW Investment Group's representative wasn't immediately available for comment.
