KPMG

The Netherlands
Commercial and Professional Services

Corprate Bias Ratings

Risk Level:

Rating - Danger
High Risk

KPMG, an accounting network, forced out its Chair in the UK after 30 years of service after he denounced unconscious bias seminars. It has also cut ties with golfer Phil Mickelson after making comments on the Saudi's human rights violations. KPMG vets vendors according to LGBTQ policies and does not provide its employees with protections against viewpoint discrimination. KPMG also supports the Equality Act. The company covers the cost of "medically necessary transition-related care" for its employees and their children. It is a corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce and is part of Glasgow's Net Zero Alliance and a signatory of the Business Roundtable's 2019 Statement on the Purpose of Corporation, which promotes stakeholder capitalism. For these reasons, KPMG receives a High Risk rating.

Criteria
Risk Level
Rationale
Corporate Weaponization
Criteria

Has denied service to customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level
Rationale

The KPMG Chair in the UK was pressured into stepping down after comments that unconscious bias seminars are “crap” and that no classes/seminars have ever changed anything; he also said that employees were “lucky” and needed to “stop moaning” about COVID-19 (1)(2). The company also cut ties with Phil Mickelson after he made comments criticizing the Saudi’s human rights violations (3). KPMG received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index. Among other requirements, this means KPMG pledged to vet vendors for LGBTQ policies (4)(5).

Criteria

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level
Rationale

KPMG matches employee donations to schools and has an employee giving program (1)(2). Those programs do not appear to discriminate based on religious or political beliefs (3).

Criteria

Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.

Risk Level
Rationale

KPMG does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (1).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy
Criteria

Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

The company signed an open letter in support of the Equality Act (1). KPMG is a signatory of the Net Zero Financial Service Providers Alliance, committed to carbon neutrality by 2050 (2). CEO William B. Thomas is a member of the Business Roundtable and Former CEO Lynne Doughtie signed its 2019 Statement on the Purpose of Corporation, which promotes stakeholder capitalism over traditional obligations to shareholders and customers (3)(4). KPMG has also posted blog posts to its website highlighting the company’s support for LGBT causes (5).

Criteria

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

KPMG has a perfect score on the HRC’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index. This score indicates the company covers the cost of “medically necessary transition-related care” for its employees and their children (1)(2). KPMG is a corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (3).

Criteria

Uses corporate political contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level
Rationale

KPMG has given to the Equality PAC (1)(2).

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
September 24, 2023

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