In this Jan. 9, 2018 file photo, President and Chief Creative Officer at DC Entertainment Geoff Johns participates in the "Krypton" panel during the NBCUniversal Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) --
DC Entertainment president and chief creative officer Geoff Johns, who co-produced "Justice League," is exiting both roles to focus on creative matters full time.
Warner Bros. executive and DC's interim head Thomas Gewecke says Monday that Johns is launching a production company to develop a "Green Lantern Corps." film and other projects in film, television and comic books.
It comes a few days after the studio said that DC Entertainment president Diane Nelson had decided not to return to her post following a two-month leave.
Johns is a longtime DC Comics writer who rose through the corporate ranks and added the president title almost two years ago. He's worked on both "Aquaman" and the "Wonder Woman" sequel and helped build DC television shows like "The Flash" and "Supergirl."
Pepsi soft drinks in plastic bottles are on sale at a grocery store in New York on Weds., Nov. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
PepsiCo confirmed Friday that it's ending some of its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, even as rival Coca-Cola voiced support for its own inclusion efforts.
In a memo sent to employees, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said the company will no longer set goals for minority representation in its managerial roles or supplier base. The company will also align its sponsorships to events and groups that promote business growth, he said.
Laguarta wrote that inclusion remains important to PepsiCo, whose brands include Gatorade, Lay's potato chips, Doritos, Mountain Dew as well as Pepsi. The Purchase, New York-based company's chief diversity officer will transition to a broader role focused on employee engagement, leadership development and ensuring an inclusive culture, he said.
Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last month, U.S. government agencies, companies and schools have rushed to reevaluate policies and programs they adopted with the goal of reducing discrimination against members of minority groups, women and LGBTQ+ people.
Trump ended DEI programs within the federal government and has warned schools to end DEI programs or risk losing federal money.
PepsiCo's rollback came as Coca-Cola reaffirmed support for its DEI efforts.
In its annual report, Atlanta-based Coke warned that its business could be negatively affected if it is unable to attract employees that reflect its broad range of customers.
"Failure to maintain a corporate culture that fosters innovation, collaboration and inclusion โฆ could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business and our future success," the company said.
Coca-Cola has set a goal of having women in 50% of its senior leadership roles by... Read More
