Deafeating short-termism: Why pension funds must lead

In the fall issue of the Rotman International Journal of Pension Management, Ed Waitzer, the Jarislowsky Dimma Mooney Chair in Corporate Governance at York University, Canada, argues the time has come for pension fund trustees and managers to lead rather than be dragged along. This article proposes a number of steps that can be taken to better align incentives and frame decision-making for longer-term perspectives.

 

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La Caisse’s oil exit pays off as renewables portfolio pulls ahead of fossil fuels

La Caisse’s oil exit pays off as renewables portfolio pulls ahead of fossil fuels

Divesting from the oil sector has been a boon for La Caisse’s performance, as the Canadian pension giant says its energy investments have earned billions in value-add compared to the benchmark since the inception of its climate strategy. Head of sustainability Bertrand Millot unpacks the fund’s approach in an interview with Top1000funds.com.

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Time to change the curriculum

Finance education needs to move away from neo-classical economics towards a more holistic approach including sustainability, philosophy and ethics. Robeco is actively engaging with leading universities in The Netherlands to change the curriculum.

Verification essential for more impact

A new impact investing verification, which uses the same level of rigor that institutional investors approach the due diligence of fund managers, promises to unlock capital flows into impact and build the necessary scale with integrity needed to address the urgent social, environmental, and economic challenges.

Finance needs to lift its climate game

A recent survey of CFA Institute members showed finance firms are lagging in how they incorporate climate change into the investment process. Matt Orsagh, senior director, capital markets policy at CFA Institute, details steps that can be taken to improve this.

Virtual AGMs stop robust engagement

Watered-down shareholder participation at AGMs, due to virtual meetings during the pandemic, is sounding alarm bells at APG, the largest pension fund in Europe, where collaboration with other asset owners and organisations is the beating heart of its ESG strategy and a central tenet to its stewardship response to the pandemic.

New Zealand Super adds climate alpha

New Zealand Super’s low-carbon reference portfolio has outperformed the original reference portfolio, adding NZ$800 million to the fund and providing evidence of ESG alpha. The low-carbon reference portfolio, that until now has had targets of reducing emissions intensity by 20 per cent and its exposure to potential emissions from fossil fuel reserves by 40 per cent, has added about 60 basis points per annum to performance since it was brought

The qualities of successful stewardship

The Investor Mining & Tailings Safety Initiative, chaired by the Church of England Pensions Board and the Swedish Council of Ethics of the AP Funds has won the PRI Stewardship Project of the Year Award. The initiative reveals the qualities of successful stewardship.

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