All Governance articles – Page 19

  • Opinion

    Positive momentum behind responsible investment

    2020-02-03T00:00:00Z

    Data Crunch: Despite daily news coverage, regulatory developments and a growing consensus that environmental, social and governance factors affect investment returns, many trustees struggle to engage with responsible investment practices. 

  • News

    Church of England invests £600m in ESG equity fund

    2020-01-30T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Church of England Pensions Board plans to allocate £600m to a fund tracking a climate-friendly index, aiming to align its pension schemes with the goals of the Paris agreement.

  • News

    Telent: Buy-in could have scuppered scheme rescue

    2020-01-29T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The trustees behind the record-breaking £4.7bn buyout of the Telent pension scheme say purchasing partial buy-in contracts could have derailed their aim of securing all members’ benefits.

  • News

    Three in five savers want pensions screened for tobacco investments

    2020-01-27T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Scheme members want more information about which companies their pensions are invested in, with 60 per cent calling for an active screening approach towards tobacco companies, according to new research.

  • News

    LGPS funds warn of fossil fuel divestment impact

    2020-01-22T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Several of Britain’s top pension funds have warned about the impact of fossil fuel divestment plans, as they would have lost hundreds of millions of pounds had they sold out of oil and gas stocks.

  • News

    Landmark vegan case could disrupt pensions industry

    2020-01-09T00:00:00Z

    A landmark ruling finding that veganism is a philosophical belief will have a wider impact in the pensions industry, experts say, but warn trustees to avoid making knee-jerk changes to their schemes.

  • News

    One third of investment firms lacking on systematic ESG analysis

    2020-01-09T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Nearly a third of investment managers do not consider environmental, social and governance factors systematically across all asset classes, despite claims from the majority that they invest responsibly, according to a report from LCP.

  • Getty Images
    News

    Local schemes urge Barclays to stop financing fossil fuel companies

    2020-01-07T00:00:00Z

    Several local government pension schemes are asking Barclays to publish a plan to gradually phase out its financing of fossil fuel companies, as the bank has provided more than $85bn (£65bn) to such companies since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015.

  • Vassos Vassou
    Opinion

    The pension industry’s ‘Extinction Rebellion’ moment

    2020-01-03T00:00:00Z

    We are at a pivotal moment in society. Environmental concerns are increasingly moving up the agenda, and this is as true in the pensions landscape as in every other area.

  • Opinion

    Are IGCs up to challenge of new duties?

    2019-12-24T00:00:00Z

    Last year came to an end with the Financial Conduct Authority taking steps to expand the role of governance committees charged with looking after the pensions of millions of workplace savers in the UK.

  • News

    Pension cuts for FTSE directors moving at snail’s pace

    2019-12-19T00:00:00Z

    Data crunch: Despite 30 FTSE 100 companies having already announced changes to their pension contribution rates for executive directors, there is still a long wait to go until there is parity in contributions between bosses and their workers, experts warn

  • News

    Nest considers 1.5C target for climate change fund

    2019-12-18T00:00:00Z

    Data crunch: The government-backed workplace provider Nest is testing ways to adopt a 1.5C goal for its Climate Aware Fund, to better reflect the “quickly evolving nature of climate change risk” and its impact on members’ investments.

  • News

    IGCs face ‘huge challenges’ with extended oversight remits

    2019-12-17T00:00:00Z

    The new rules coming into force for independent governance committees – taking oversight of the provider’s policy on environmental, social and governance factors, and guaranteeing the value for money of new investment pathway solutions – have been branded a “huge challenge” by industry experts.

  • News

    Ombudsman sides with Shell on climate change dispute

    2019-12-10T00:00:00Z

    The Pensions Ombudsman has sided with the Shell Contributory Pension Fund in the legal challenge regarding the disclosure of climate change information, which has prompted environmental lawyers ClientEarth to request the body to review its internal procedures.

  • News

    Brunel appoints managers for £2.6bn alpha equity mandate

    2019-12-10T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Brunel Pension Partnership has appointed five managers to run a £2.6bn Global High Alpha fund for its 10 Local Government Pension Scheme clients.

  • News

    Only three asset managers ‘walking the walk’ on climate change

    2019-11-28T00:00:00Z

    Among the world’s 15 largest asset managers, only three companies are making the grade on environmental, social and governance considerations, a report from InfluenceMap shows.

  • David Weeks
    Opinion

    Fix democratic deficit before mandating professional trustees

    2019-11-21T00:00:00Z

    If the Pensions Regulator really wants a professional trustee on every board, it should prove that this will add value, says the Association of Member Nominated Trustees’ David Weeks, arguing that more immediate action should be taken to address weakening member representation on scheme boards.

  • Amanda Burdge
    Opinion

    Is more needed to clean up fiduciary management?

    2019-11-11T00:00:00Z

    Quantum Advisory’s Amanda Burdge says the welcome Competition and Markets Authority remedies for fiduciary management still leave the door open for managers to mark their own scorecards in some situations.

  • Lesley Carline
    Opinion

    Introduction of professional trustees should be gradual

    2019-10-24T00:00:00Z

    The industry remains divided over whether trustee boards should be mandated to appoint a professional trustee because, while they might improve standards, they also lead to an increase in costs. To tackle this, the Pensions Management Institute’s Lesley Carline explains why the regulator should adopt a phased introduction of professional trustees.

  • News

    Nearly one in five schemes use FM as green issues come to the fore

    2019-10-24T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Despite a regulatory investigation, assets managed by fiduciary managers have broken the £170bn barrier, up 21 per cent from £142bn in 2018.