Newton Investment Management

Rating Overview

Newton Investment Management is Medium Risk.

Newton Investment Management, a subsidiary of BNY Mellon, is Medium Risk. The company often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company elevates merit, excellence, and integrity ahead of race and identity-based policies. Newton Investment Management 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	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	High Risk
Funding	Medium Risk
Political Actions	No Data

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:

Newton Investment Management is a signatory of the Principles for Responsible Investment, incorporating ESG issues into investment analysis, decision-making, and other business practices (1)(2). The company promotes divisive sex and gender policies. Its Supplier Code of Conduct requires international vendors to include sexual orientation in their nondiscrimination policy (3)(4). The company integrates ESG into its business practices. From its Responsible Investment page: it “embrace[s] an investment approach that seeks to integrate material environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations” (5). However, the company has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (6).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Newton Investment Management does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs. Its charitable giving focus areas are DEI, financial education, and environmental initiatives (1).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Newton Investment Management requires its employees to take unconscious bias training (1). Newton Investment Management appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its recruitment. From its Belonging and Inclusion page: “We continue to work to build a more diverse workforce. We seek to achieve this through: diverse interview panels, and diversity and inclusion questions in interview guides” (2). The company is an affirmative action employer. Its CPO sent a letter to employees asking them to join “in supporting BNY Mellon’s commitment to Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action” (3). It does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (4)(5).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Newton Investment Management was part of the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative prior to NZAM’s suspension in 2025. Its membership indicated a commitment to carbon neutrality with its investments by 2050 (1)(2)(3). The company is a signatory of the 2026 relaunch of the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative, which provides resources to asset managers to aid in setting climate goals. Based on the company’s NZAM profile page, it is currently updating its commitments (4)(5)(6). The company supports DEI within its business practices, employing a DEI Council (7). The company is a member of the Diversity Project UK, an initiative that champions diversity in the investment industry through setting diversity goals (8)(9). The company is committed to net-zero greenhouse emissions by 2050 (10).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Newton Investment Management is a member of the Task Force for Climate-Related Financial Disclosures, an organization that promotes methods of climate change policy within companies (1)(2). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of Newton Investment Management 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:

N/A

Rationale:

Newton Investment Management does not operate a PAC or engage in lobbying at this time (1)(2)(3).