Does a company adhere to appropriate standards of corporate governance and oversight? To what extent does management discharge its obligations to stakeholders in a fair and responsible manner?

Engagement has always been an integral part of what we do. Constructive dialogue with management teams affords real insight into how a company operates.
Our selective approach means we invest in a relatively small group of companies. This allows us to engage regularly and to address in detail only those issues we deem material to each company. These conversations are supported by our long-term investment horizon, which enables us to forge strong relationships with management teams and to focus on a company’s strategic direction.

Proxy voting provides an opportunity to encourage high standards of governance,sustainability and protect long-term value.
While we carefully consider the views of a company when determining how to vote, we always vote in the best interests of our clients. We consider every resolution on an individual basis and, where we can vote, we have a 100% voting record.

Our ‘Additional Objective Portfolios’ (AOP) framework was introduced in 2022 for clients who want their portfolio to be managed in line with clearly defined, contractually agreed, ‘higher bar’ sustainability requirements.

Whilst this nomenclature may be less imaginative than industry alternatives for sustainable investment funds, it is clear and consistent with our process.  For those clients with additional sustainability requirements, such as Article 8 EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regime, we are able to offer variants of our core portfolios that in addition to our integrated ESG research have been subjected to rigorous additional stakeholder governance and sustainability analysis to determine whether holdings are suitable for such clients.