Our stewardship activities aim to support decisions that we believe will result in sustainable, competitive investment returns for our clients. Our commitment to active ownership combines deep research and constructive dialogue and, in our view, is integral to our fiduciary responsibility to our clients.
Our 2023 stewardship efforts in numbers
3,000+
Tracked meetings in which E, S, or G topics were covered. We believe these meetings open avenues to value creation through productive dialogue on material ESG issues.
6,229
Companies for which we voted proxies.
47%
Annual general meetings at which we did not support management recommendations on at least one resolution.1
1 These decisions are intended to advance the best interests of shareholders, support best practices, and foster constructive dialogue.
All figures as of 31 December 2022.
Importance of engagement
With the objective of creating value, we engage to advance resilient business practices and support sustainable outcomes. Deep research and constructive dialogue with management and boards is at the heart of our engagement philosophy. We also encourage transparency to better assess financial risks and opportunities for each company or issuer.
Proxy voting
Many of our clients delegate proxy voting authority to Wellington, given our research expertise, access to management teams, and incorporation of engagement into our investment process. Our investment teams vote proxies in accordance with their individual investment philosophies to support value creation. We prioritize open dialogue so that clients may understand our approach and how it reflects their best interests.
ESG integration and ratings
For many Wellington investment teams, ESG research is an input or lens to help assess the value of investments. The “weight” or prominence of this input differs depending on ESG topic, security type, and the discipline and/or philosophy & process applied to a given investment portfolio. For more than 8,500 companies, we identify relevant data to assess issuer performance on material ESG issues, and we use this data to assign company-level ESG ratings.
Our ESG commitment to portfolio companies
If you are a portfolio company, see how we may be able to help you navigate the evolving ESG landscape.
Reports and policies
Industry initiatives, memberships, & frameworks
Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)
Voluntary framework that allows investors to incorporate ESG issues into their decision-making and ownership practices
Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
Develops disclosures for use by companies in providing information to relevant stakeholders
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
17 goals and 169 underlying targets aimed at expanding global economic growth, reducing inequality, and promoting peace
Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN)
Nonprofit industry leader setting standards for impact investing across asset classes
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)
Develops baseline standards for sustainability disclosures to help inform investment and economic decision making
Partnership for Biodiversity Accounting Financials (PBAF)
Provides financial institutions with practical guidance on biodiversity impact and dependency assessments
Explore other sustainable and ESG investing opportunities
Socially and environmentally positive themes underpinned by structural economic drivers are central to the investment philosophy in pursuit of value creation and/or risk management.
Seeks to invest in issuers that we believe contribute to a lower-carbon future, can help the world adapt to a changing climate, or are well positioned to manage transition and/or physical risks
Seeks to invest in issuers whose core products, services, or projects provide environmental and/or social solutions in a differentiated way, with the goal of driving measurable positive impact alongside financial returns
