How Newmont Promotes an Ethical Culture

Oct 14, 2017 12:10 PM ET

Case Study | Beyond the Mine

As Newmont is a multinational business, fraud and corruption present significant risks to our reputation, license to operate and ability to grow.

To address these risks, we have strengthened our global ethics program to better maintain our commitment to integrity and our principles of governance. Over the past year, we expanded our team to include dedicated ethics and compliance managers in those countries where we operate that are at a higher risk of corruption, namely Ghana, Peru and Suriname, as well as Indonesia prior to the divestiture in late 2016 of the Batu Hijau mine.

These experts work with regional and site-based ethics advocates – who are employees in other full-time roles that support the function – to encourage ethical behavior and prevent potential misconduct before it occurs. Among other responsibilities, each manager will:

  • Promote individual accountability for and compliance with Newmont’s Code of Conduct, values, policies, standards and other regional and/or site requirements. This includes understanding each culture and how to best encourage the use of our online, anonymous Ethics Solution Tool whenever there is a question or concern;
     
  • Work closely with our supply chain group to support their efforts in identifying and managing potential corruption risks posed by third-party vendors, contractors, consultants and business partners throughout the lifecycle of the supplier relationship;
     
  • Support government relations, community relations and security teams by evaluating payments, donations or gifts to government, police, military, traditional authorities or community groups or individuals;
     
  • Provide in-person training to site personnel, contractors, vendors, community members and government officials on ethics and compliance issues, and assist with delivery of Newmont’s online training program and other ethics and compliance program materials; and
     
  • Assist with ethics and compliance investigations at site, as appropriate, and report on issues to regional and corporate offices, including promptly escalating issues when necessary.