Avangrid - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Avangrid is Medium Risk.

AVANGRID Inc. often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. AVANGRID occasionally embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues at times. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Medium Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	Lower Risk
Employment Protection	Medium Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	High Risk
Funding	High Risk
Political Actions	Lower Risk

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled 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:

Medium

Rationale:

Avangrid integrates ESG into its business practices. From its 2024 Proxy Statement: “Our business is guided and strengthened by our environmental, social, governance, and financial (“ESG+F”) commitments” (1). Avangrid integrates DEI into its supply chain. From its Supply Chain Sustainability Assessment Model: “A policy to promote equality and diversity” (2). However, the company has not canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (3).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Avangrid does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (1)(2).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Avangrid appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its leadership composition. From its 2024 Proxy Statement: “The Compensation and Nominating Committee aims to strike a balance between the knowledge and understanding of the business that comes from longer-term service on the Board with the fresh ideas and perspective that can come from adding new members and also considers the expertise and cognitive diversity that is needed as our business changes and expands, as well as the importance of diversity of age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, thought, geography, and nationality on the Board” (1). The company does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (#).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

AVANGRID‘s CEO Pedro Javier Azagra Blazquez signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, which includes a commitment to promote DEI through bias education training in the workplace, strategize on DEI programs/initiatives with other signatories, and engage boards of directors when developing and evaluating DEI strategies (1)(2). Avangrid supports DEI within its business practices, employing a DEI Council (3). Avangrid supports ESG within its business practices. From its 2024 Proxy Statement: “established a new Governance and Sustainability Committee responsible for developing and maintaining the Avangrid Governance and Sustainability System, Avangrid’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, oversight of Avangrid’s environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) performance, activities and initiatives, and non-financial sustainability reporting” (4).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

AVANGRID, Inc. funds the New Haven Pride Center (1). Avangrid is a corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (2). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of AVANGRID using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (3).

Criteria:

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

AVANGRID, Inc. has not used its PAC donations or lobbying for ideological purposes (1)(2)(3).