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.
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.
The Harvard endowment is about half way through its transition to external investment management and will work with its service providers to implement the university’s new directive, to position the portfolio in line with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The financial system will play a critical role in enabling economic recovery, development and contributing to wider societal well-being, including a focus on human rights. The PRI is working with investors to ensure that the financial sector contributes to, not detracts from, more inclusive societies. A world post COVID-19 needs to ensure the recovery respects both the boundaries of the planet and the rights of its people.
Investors are putting pressure on companies to accelerate the shift to purpose-driven leadership and focus on human capital policies during the crisis. But while there are some examples of corporations making policy changes that positively impact their workers, supply chain issues pose a significant problem.
ESG data provider, Fair Supply Analytics, has produced technology that maps the impact of COVID-19 on global supply chains, and can be used by investors to measure their investment portfolios exposure to the sectors and countries most effected.
The coronavirus is an unprecedented test for the UK’s eight Local Government Pension Scheme asset pools. The London Collective Investment Vehicle, the pooling manager for the pension assets of London’s 32 boroughs has lost 15 per cent of the value of its portfolio for the month, and CEO Mike O’Donnell says ensuring liquidity and diversification are priorities in the months ahead.
In times of uncertainty and disruption the “long-term” is a place that’s often easy to talk about but harder to operationalise but forward-looking information is highly valued, particularly during this crisis. To understand a company’s value proposition requires a real sense of its ability to innovate and be a source of disruption (not its victim). That requires a rounded view of the forward story and an assessment of key ESG issues and mega-trends.
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