World Kinect Corporation

Rating Overview

World Kinect Corporation is Lower Risk.

World Kinect is Lower Risk. The company does not yield to political activism in shaping corporate governance, preventing initiatives that potentially alienate consumers, divide employees, and harm shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. Overall, World Kinect does not embrace corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues. This approach protects free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Lower Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	No Data
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

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

Lower

Rationale:

World Kinect has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (1).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

N/A

Rationale:

World Kinect does not publish charitable giving guidelines (1).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

World Kinect requires its managers to take unconscious bias training (1). The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its hiring. From its 2022 Sustainability Report: “Formalizing our use of diverse slates in our recruiting process, mandating that interview panels include at least one woman or minority in our interviews for U.S. hires and at least one woman in our interviews for global hires” (2)(3). World Kinect is an affirmative action employer. “We are an Equal Employment/Affirmative Action employer” (4). The company does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (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:

World Kinect’s CEO Michael J. Kasbar signed the Business Roundtable’s 2019 Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation, which promotes stakeholder capitalism over traditional obligations to shareholders (1). The company supports DEI within its business practices. From its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion page: “Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is key to building extraordinary teams” (2). World Kinect supports ESG within its business practices. From its Our ESG Principles, Policies, and Practices page: “At World Fuel Services, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) is part of every business decision we make. We strive to create a more environmentally and socially sustainable world through our actions, investments, and energy solutions. This is reflected in who we are and what we do” (3). The company is committed to net zero emissions (4).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

World Kinect has not used corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (1).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

World Kinect does not operate a PAC at this time and has not lobbied for ideological purposes (1)(2)(3).