Fear the diversity backlash? ‘We are not America,’ says new CEW chief

If we give too much air time to DEI’s detractors, people may begin to believe diversity programs are unwarranted, Lisa Annese says.

Lisa Annese has spent most of her career advocating for women and minority groups. Dominic Lorrimer

Sally PattenBOSS editor

Mar 6, 2025 – 5.00am

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Lisa Annese has chosen a helluva time to join women’s advocacy group Chief Executive Women as its chief executive.

Annese started the role in January, two months after Donald Trump won the presidential election and added the world’s most powerful voice to a growing backlash against diversity and inclusion policies in the United States.

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Sally PattenBOSS editorSally Patten edits BOSS, and writes about workplace issues. She was the financial services editor and personal finance editor of the AFR, The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. She edited business news for The Times of London.