WCM Investment Management

California
Diversified Financials

Risk Level:

Rating - Caution
Medium Risk

Summary:

WCM Investment Management is an asset management firm headquartered in Laguna Beach, California. Since 2018, WCM is has been a partial subsidiary of Natixis, a French investment bank. Natixis, in turn, was acquired in 2021 by French banking conglomerate Groupe BPCE. Neither WCM nor Natixis has publicly terminated employees due to political or religious differences, though neither company provides political viewpoint protections to employees. The CEO of Natixis has signed the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion pledge, though the corporation has not taken specific policy stances or funded groups hostile to freedom of expression. The firm does adhere to the UN Principles for Responsible Investing and implement a "Green Weighting Factor," though neither of these policies explicitly deny services to specific industries or businesses. For these reasons, WCM Investment Management receives a "Medium 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

Neither WCM Asset Management nor its parent company Natixis has publicly terminated business relationships due to political or religious differences (1). WCM has specific funds that do not invest in portfolios with significant stakes in high-risk industries such as firearms or gambling, though this is specific to those particular funds and not reflective of a larger company policy (2).

Criteria

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

Risk Level
Rationale

WCM does not have an independent charitable giving program. Natixis will match donations “to organizations that promote the common good and benefit the general welfare of the community. By definition, this excludes organizations that promote single sectarian, denominational, or religious activities” (1).

Criteria

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

Risk Level
Rationale

WCM does not publish an anti-discrimination policy aside from its privacy policy (1). However, Natixis does not protect employees from political viewpoint discrimination (2).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy
Criteria

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

Risk Level
Rationale

Natixis CEO Timothy Ryan has signed the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion pledge (1). Natixis has released a  “social and environmental responsibility” statement, committing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (2). This includes a “Green Weighting Factor” whereby the investment firm publishes and manages its allocation into “green” investments, increasing 10% of that allocation each year (3). This metric does not explicitly require denying services to “brown” investments. However, the company has not given specific policy positions or taken a stance on socioeconomic issues (4).

Criteria

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

Risk Level
Rationale

WCM and Natixis have not made public donations to ideological groups hostile to freedom of expression (1).

Criteria

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

Risk Level
Rationale

WCM does not have an independent PAC (1). The Natixis US Holdings PAC donates in a bipartisan manner in accordance with business interests (2).

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
March 23, 2023

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