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University of Toronto Asset Management "UTAM" is responsible for managing the Pension, Endowment and short-term financial assets of the University of Toronto. As of December 31st 2018, UTAM had CA$ 10 billion of assets under management.
Responsible Investing Report: A Closer Look - 2018
Institutional Investor: The vehicle will invest in companies developing solutions for environmental and social problems, while betting against the stocks of businesses seen as damaging to the world.
Economic Times: As almost $31 trillion has flowed into investment funds and strategies that emphasize good governance and socially responsible business practices, hedge funds have largely found themselves left out.
IR Magazine: Fifteen new firms have joined the IAG, which has named Barbara Zvan, chief risk and strategy officer of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, as the group’s new chair.
IPE: One of the Netherlands’ largest asset managers is turning to private equity funds to increase its exposure to small, innovative companies and broaden its impact investment policy.
Reuters: Investors piled into the Netherlands’ inaugural, triple-A rated sovereign green bond, placing 21.2 billion euros ($23.7 billion) of orders for the environmentally friendly paper.
Quartz: The S&P 500 index, one of the most recognizable stock indices in the world, just got a makeover in line with the latest trend in finance: ESG, or environmental, social, and governance, investing.
Pensions & Investments: Asset owners with combined assets of more than $8 trillion are considering diversity to improve decision-making, according to a study of 100 global investors by think tank New Financial in collaboration with the U.K. Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association and law firm Pinsent Masons.
IPE: The world’s largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles had some good news to share in January. Not only would it spend €500m on accelerating autonomous trucking technology but its investment would create 200 new jobs.
IPE: More and more, it seems that any investor wishing to be taken seriously about its commitment to impact investing would not want to be seen quibbling about the importance of measurement.
Founded in 1974, Strathclyde Pension Fund has been managed by the Glasgow City Council since 1996. With £20.8 billion of assets under management and over 230,000 members as at March 31st 2018, it is the second largest UK LGPS fund.
Most of the Fund's investment analysis and decision-making is outsourced to external investment managers. In accordance to the Responsible Investment policy, external managers are expected to consider ESG risks and opportunities and to engage regularly with portfolio companies on ESG issues. Strathclyde also engages collaboratively with peers through initiatives such as FAIRR and ShareAction. Additionally, the fund manages a Direct Investment Portfolio internally with a focus on positive environmental and social impact which invests in Infrastructure, Renewable Energy, and Regional lending to small companies.
Annual Report & Financial Statements: 2017 - 2018
Institutional Investor: Forget all those studies about whether ESG strategies have produced better or worse returns. For institutional investors, the main advantage of environmental, social, and governance-oriented investing is that it makes them look good.
Institutional Asset Manager: The Certificate will be the first formal qualification on ESG investing available sector-wide to investment professionals in the UK.
Pensions & Investments: 2018 was a pivotal year for engaging with companies on environmental, social and governance issues, BMO Global Asset Management reported Monday in its Responsible Investment Annual Review.
All About Alpha: Female Funders, a program within the venture capital company Highline BETA, with offices in both Canada and the United States, has produced a new Women in Venture report, which works with data gathered from more than 300 VC firms and corporate venture arms in both countries “to try to paint a clearer picture of the state of gender in venture capital.”
Top 1000 Funds: The big question for the big institutional investors is whether Asia, considered the growth engine for the world, can catch up with the ESG movement that is sweeping throughout developed economies.
Bloomberg: Blackstone Group LP hired Tanya Barnes, a former managing director at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., to lead a new impact investing strategy, as pension plans and other institutions seek to put money into more businesses with social and environmental benefits.
IPE: More than a decade ago, the law firm Freshfields published a landmark report on the relationship between fiduciary duty and the integration of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) considerations in investment policy.
IPE: Swedish institutional investors have been frontrunners in sustainable and environmental, social and governance (ESG) investments, not least the country’s buffer funds, the AP funds.
Brunel Pension Partnership (Brunel) is one of eight national Local Government Pension Scheme Pools bringing together 10 public sector pension funds including the Environment Agency Pension Fund. It manages £30 billion of assets on behalf of nearly 700,000 LGPS members.
Responsible Investment Policy Statement
Addressing Climate Change Position Statement
Institutional Investor: Few hedge funds are investing based on environmental, social, and governance factors — but AQR just released a framework for the strategy.
The Sydney Morning Herald: Superannuation funds failing to consider environmental, social and corporate governance risks when investing their members' retirement savings are in breach of their duties and therefore the law, says the head of Australia's biggest industry super fund.
Institutional Asset Managers: The HKSAR Government is joining the US State Treasurers of California, New Mexico and Rhode Island, the Cities of Asheville and San Francisco, King County, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Government of Mexico City, Australian pension fund LGS, South Africa’s FedGroup and Luxembourg Green Exchange in the list of issuer and supporter signatories.
The Wall Street Journal: One of the private-equity industry’s biggest buyout firms has partnered with a fledgling venture firm to help it access a more diverse talent pool, in terms of both race and gender.
Top 1000 Funds: In emerging markets around $2.7 trillion a year is needed in infrastructure investment, he told the Milken Global Conference in April.
IPE: The EU financial markets watchdog has thrown its weight behind stewardship as a means by which investors can help bring about the transition towards a sustainable economy.
Private Equity News: Private equity firms have long had the reputation of being a “boys’ club” and often that reputation extends to the management teams and boards of their portfolio companies.
IPE: The mission of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is to help improve economic development, and delivering the sustainable development goals (SDGs) is part of that.
IPE: Impact investing in public markets has become a hot topic of conversations but identifying companies that can address the world’s most formidable challenges and deliver financial returns is a time-consuming and resource-intensive process.
RPMI Railpen (Railpen) is responsible for managing and investing the Railways Pension Scheme, which includes 350,000 members from over 150 companies operating within the privatized railway industry in the United Kingdom. As at December 31st, 2017, the Scheme had over US$ 35 billion of assets under management.
Sustainable Ownership Report 2018
The Wall Street Journal: The largest U.S. companies are beginning to pay heed to the demands of investors focused on environmental and social issues, a shift for shareholders long relegated to the sidelines.
Top 1000 Funds: In 2013, Nicholas Benes persuaded key legislators that in order for Japan’s (then-proposed) “Stewardship Code” to have a positive impact, Japan needed to also put in place a corporate governance code that would require detailed disclosure of governance practices at each company.
IIGCC: Many pension funds and asset owners recognize climate change as one of the largest systemic risks in their investment portfolios.
Chief Investment Officer: The California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) is taking a role in engaging corporate boards and management of opioid manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacy retail chains it owns in its $115.5 billion global equity portfolio, shows a new pension system report.
Institutional Investor: New York State Common Retirement Fund’s interim chief investment officer is against the state’s proposed bill that would require it to divest from fossil fuels.
World Resources Institute: With nearly $6 trillion in assets under management, BlackRock is the largest asset management firm and one of the most powerful investors in the world.
IPE: Oil companies will not remain attractive investments unless they adopt business models supporting the Paris climate targets, according to a survey of fund managers.
Citywire Selector: The Alternative Investment Management Association has published a primer document for hedge funds to help investors adopt greater levels of responsible investment into their processes.
The Asset ESG Forum: The forestry sector presents a strong opportunity for impact investors, driven by the potential of higher valuations and further ESG integration.
