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    Schroders Unveils New Engagement Blueprint

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    Stockholm (NordSIP) – In the quest to reinforce its engagement capabilities, Schroders published its latest Engagement Blueprint, a report describing the asset manager’s vision for and new standards on active ownership as well as its targets on engagement for equity and bond fund managers.

    The Engagement Blueprint identifies the thematic areas that Schroders has chosen to focus future active ownership efforts, and highlights the six core themes of Climate Change, Corporate Governance, Diversity and Inclusion, Human Capital Management, Human Rights, Natural Capital and Biodiversity. The document also outlines Schroders’ process for engagement including methods of escalation, the factors by which the firm will evaluate sustainability-related resolutions, and its outcome-based approach.

    - Partner Message -

    “We are in an era of transition in many key areas, including climate change, equality, diversity and many more. Old ways of working are being upended and companies more than ever will need to adapt to thrive. As active managers, we have a critical role to play in supporting that transition. Engagement is one of the important tools we can use to influence the companies in which we invest,” Andy Howard, Global Head of Sustainable Investment, Schroders, commented.

    Schroders is also introducing engagement objectives for fund managers and analysts, applying across the equities and fixed income desks and will form part of fund managers’ personal performance goals. Fund managers can choose from the six core themes, as set out in the Engagement Blueprint, when considering their company interactions. The engagements will be closely monitored by Rory Bateman, Co-Head of Investment and Head of Equities, alongside the Active Ownership team.

    “As a global active asset manager, we are able to influence corporate behaviour through constructive and committed engagement with the companies and assets we invest in. Active ownership is a key element of the value we bring to our clients,” Kimberley Lewis, Head of Active Ownership, Schroders, commented.

    “Social and environmental forces are reshaping societies, economies, industries and financial markets. By encouraging management teams to adapt to those changes, we are able to strengthen the long-term value of those assets, enhancing outcomes for clients, and to accelerate positive change towards a fairer and sustainable global economy. The launch of our Engagement Blueprint sets out what active ownership means at Schroders, how we engage with the companies in which we invest and what our clients can expect from us,” Lewis concludes.

    Image courtesy of Schroders
    Filipe Albuquerque
    Filipe Albuquerque
    Filipe is an economist with 8 years of experience in macroeconomic and financial analysis for the Economist Intelligence Unit, the UN World Institute for Development Economic Research, the Stockholm School of Economics and the School of Oriental and African Studies. Filipe holds a MSc in European Political Economy from the LSE and a MSc in Economics from the University of London, where he currently is a PhD candidate.

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