“Northwestern Mutual prides itself on doing the right thing, and we have done so for more than 164 years as a business that is built on trust and delivering on our promises,” said Ray Manista, executive vice president and chief legal and compliance officer at Northwestern Mutual. “We know that stakeholders want information about company ESG initiatives at their fingertips. Our inaugural sustainability report serves as a guide for those who want to better understand our long-standing commitments and new initiatives in these areas, and we look forward to sharing our progress for years to come.”
The report is organized around five key areas: the company’s commitment to clients, commitment to social impact, commitment to corporate governance, commitment to responsible investing and the environment, and commitment to its people (employees).
- Clients: Northwestern Mutual is grounded in a client-first approach, underpinning the financial security it provides to help clients achieve their goals and ultimately our broader society. To meet this vision, Northwestern Mutual remains rooted in foundational pillars of mutuality, unsurpassed financial strength, exclusive distribution through a dedicated field force of financial professionals, and superior long-term product value.
- Social Impact: Northwestern Mutual is dedicated to making the communities it serves the best places to live – from the company’s response to COVID-19 to the financial support, volunteerism and collaboration with partners in causes that matter. Since 1992, the company has given more than $400 million to causes and initiatives that create lasting impacts in the communities where our employees and financial professionals live and work. This includes our national commitment to accelerating the search for better treatments and cures for childhood cancer.
- Corporate Governance: The values of Northwestern Mutual serve as guideposts to maintain high levels of professional and ethical standards, and the company has governance, accountability and oversight structures in place to meet and exceed these high standards. In addition to its Board of Trustees, Northwestern Mutual works with selected policyowners to evaluate the company’s efforts and make recommendations for improvement. These findings are disclosed publicly in the company’s annual report.
- Responsible Investing and The Environment: As part of our responsible investing strategy, Northwestern Mutual holds nearly $20 billion in socio-economic investments, impact investments or green investments. In addition, investments through our Impact Investing fund specifically aim to provide or improve access to capital, physical or social infrastructure, or to support enhancements to underserved neighborhoods.
- People: Northwestern Mutual is differentiated by its workforce, including its exclusive network of financial professionals. The company is dedicated to supporting and promoting diversity for its teams, communities, businesses and suppliers through its SARE Task Force and Women’s Initiative, among others. As a result, Northwestern Mutual has consistently been recognized as one of America’s Best Employers for Diversity, as well as having received top marks as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality and a Best Place to work for Disability Inclusion.
The company’s sustainability report can be downloaded here.
