2020 was in one word: extreme. An extreme global health pandemic, climate change events, and social and political unrest. This challenging time has forced companies to look inward and use their platforms to make a difference, for their employees, shareholders and their communities. Since the new political administration has taken office, the shift towards Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) priorities makes us hopeful and gives us a renewed momentum on how we can leverage our collective resources and voice for good.
Our 2020 Shareholder Engagement Newsletter brings into focus our commitment to social justice to deal specifically with the economic impact on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) by creating additional language in our proxy voting guidelines to address these issues. We have also committed to growing our own diversity, racial literacy and healing.
The newsletter also takes a deeper look into shareholder engagement trends that were at the forefront for investors in 2020, such as corporate political activity, climate change, and human capital management – particularly diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). We analyze where progress is being made and where there is still room for improvement.
Our investment discipline is based on identifying companies that exhibit both potential for financial returns and a positive ESG footprint. This newsletter maps out our latest ESG footprint from 2020.
To read the full 2020 Shareholder Engagement Newsletter, download below: