The coronavirus pandemic is hastening certain trends that institutional investors incorporating environmental, social and governance issues have been eyeing for some time. One trend is the democratization of technology, which Catherine Flockhart, a director at Baillie Gifford, says her firm has been positioned for in certain strategies. While many point to the sudden increase in […]
The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. is aligning itself with other global pension investors by signing a new joint letter calling for long-term sustainability to become a more prevalent concern for corporations and asset managers. The letter was co-signed in early March by three institutional investors — Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund, the California State Teachers’ Retirement Scheme and […]
Globally, many pension funds are divesting from carbon and fossil fuels, while others are staying the course and focusing on financial value and their fiduciary duties Simon Archer, partner at Goldblatt Partners LLP and co-director of Osgoode Hall Law School’s Centre for Comparative Research in Law and Political Economy: Political posturing aside, no one seriously […]
During an educational two days in Montreal, the 2020 DC Plan Summit, on Feb. 5-7, featured a range of sessions diving into today’s top issues for plan sponsors, including financial education and wellness, post-retirement solutions, sustainability, plan design and technology. Is your pension communication message getting through? A look at the different paths to ESG […]
With environmental, social and governance issues becoming more prominent among investors, it’s important to consider what sustainability means for DC plans. Plan sponsors are facing somewhat conflicting objectives, said Christine Girvan, senior managing director and head of Canadian distribution at MFS Investment Management, during a session at Benefits Canada‘s 2020 DC Plan Summit in Montreal […]
While the pension industry has historically thought about the sustainability of pension plans themselves, it’s now time to think about sustainability more broadly, said Kate Nazar, vice-president of strategy and market development for group retirement services at Sun Life Financial, during a panel at Benefits Canada‘s 2020 DC Plan Summit in Montreal in February. “We’re […]
Wrapping up the 2020 DC Plan Summit with his customary flair, Zaheed Jiwani, principal and leader of the DC consulting group at Eckler Ltd., highlighted the pervasive themes through a selection of songs. With Joe Cocker’s “With a Little Help from My Friends,” he noted how the plan sponsor case studies shared real-life examples of […]
When the dust settles from the coronavirus pandemic, what environmental, social and governance lessons will shine through? A recent blog post by Fiona Reynolds, chief executive officer of the Principles for Responsible Investment, pointed to differences between this crisis and the crisis of 2008. “While there are certainly parallels with the global financial crisis just […]
To stay on the cutting edge of environmental, social and governance integration, institutional investors have to expand their focus beyond the factors that are material to a company’s operations today and look ahead at what’s around the corner. According to a report by the World Economic Forum, this is becoming an integral part of investors’ analysis. “To […]
If climate change represents one of the largest systemic risks the global economy has ever faced, dealing with its ramifications is going to move a lot of money. The world’s youth have taken to the streets calling on their governments for massive, co-ordinated policy change, but it hasn’t yet manifested. Any piecemeal regulatory shifts suffer […]