Environmental, Social and Governance

The Investment Manager conducts extensive and high-quality fundamental and first-hand research to fully understand the investment case for every company in its global universe. A key part of the Investment Manager’s research involves focusing its extensive resources on analysis of ESG issues. As set out below, the Investment Manager’s portfolio managers, ESG equity analysts and central ESG Investment Team collaborate to generate a deep understanding of the ESG risks and opportunities associated with each company. Stewardship and active engagement with every company are also fundamental to the investment process, helping to produce positive outcomes that lead to better risk-adjusted returns.

Portfolio Managers: All of the Investment Manager’s equity portfolio managers seek to engage actively with companies to gain insight into their specific risks and provide a positive ongoing influence on their corporate strategy for governance, environmental and social impact. 

ESG Equity Analysts: The Investment Manager has dedicated and highly experienced ESG equity analysts located across the UK, US, Asia and Australia. Working as part of individual investment teams, rather than as a separate department, these specialists are integral to pre-investment due diligence and post investment ongoing company engagement. They are also responsible for taking thematic research produced by the central ESG Investment Team (see below), interpreting and translating it into actionable insights and engagement programmes for its regional investment strategies. 

ESG Investment Team: This central team of more than 20 experienced specialists based in Edinburgh and London provides ESG consultancy and insight for all asset classes. Taking a global approach both identifies regions, industries and sectors that are most vulnerable to ESG risks and identifies those that can take advantage of the opportunities presented. Working with portfolio managers, the team is key to the Investment Manager’s active stewardship approach of using shareholder voting and corporate engagement to drive positive change. 

Please see pages 22 to 26 of the annual report for more information.

A systematic and globally-applied approach to evaluating stocks allows the Investment Manager to compare companies consistently with regard to their ESG credentials – both regionally and against their peer group. The Investment Manager captures the findings from its research and company engagement meetings in formal research notes. Some of the key questions include: 

• Which ESG issues are relevant for this company, how material are they, and how are they being addressed? 
• What is the assessment of the quality of this company’s governance, ownership structure and management? 
• Are incentives and key performance indicators aligned with the company’s strategy and the interests of shareholders? 

1. Best in class

• ESG considerations are a material part of the company’s core business strategy 
• The company provides excellent disclosure on ESG issues 
• The company provides opportunities from strong ESG management.

2. Leader

• ESG considerations are good but not market-leading
• Disclosure is good but not best in class
• Governance is generally very good.

3. Average

• ESG risks are considered as a part of the principal business
• Disclosure is in line with regulatory requirements
• Governance is generally good but with some minor concerns

4. Below average

• There is evidence of some financially material controversies
• There is poor governance or limited oversight of key ESG issues
• There are some issues in treating minority shareholders poorly.

5. Laggard

• Many financially material controversies
• Severe governance concerns
• Poor treatment of minority shareholders.

Please see pages 22 to 26 of the annual report for more information.

Climate change is one of the most significant challenges of the 21st century and has big implications for investors. The energy transition is underway in many parts of the world, and policy changes, falling costs of renewable energy, and a change in public perception are happening at a rapid pace. Assessing the risks and opportunities of climate change is a core part of the investment process. In particular, the Investment Manager considers:

Transition risks and opportunities: Governments could take robust climate change mitigation actions to reduce emissions and transition to a low-carbon economy. This is reflected in targets, policies and regulation and can have a considerable impact on high carbon-emitting companies. 

Physical risks and opportunities: Insufficient climate change mitigation action will lead to more severe and frequent physical damage. This results in financial implications, including damage to crops and infrastructure, and the need for physical adaptation such as flood defences.

Please see pages 22 to 26 of the annual report for more information.

Once the Investment Manager invests in a company, it is committed to helping that company maintain or raise its ESG standards further, using the Investment Manager’s position as a shareholder to press for action as needed. The Investment Manager actively engages with the companies in which it invests to maintain ESG focus and encourage improvement. 

The Investment Manager sees this programme of regular engagement as a necessary fulfilment of its duty as a responsible steward of clients’ assets. It is also an opportunity to share examples of best practice seen in other companies and to use its influence to effect positive change. The Investment Manager’s engagement is not limited to the company’s management team. It can include many other stakeholders such as non-government agencies, industry and regulatory bodies, as well as activists and the company’s clients. What gets measured gets managed, so the Investment Manager strongly encourages companies to set clear targets or key performance indicators on all material ESG risks. 

Please see pages 22 to 26 of the annual report for more information.