On the go: Hymans Robertson has announced that it has joined the impact investing community, Pensions for Purpose.
Launched in 2017, Pensions for Purpose aims to act as a bridge between asset managers, pension funds and their advisers to encourage the flow of capital towards impact investment.
Hymans’ integration into the community is one of a number of steps the consultancy has taken in the past few weeks to address the challenges and opportunities relating to environmental, social and governance requirements.
Last month it launched a new action group, the Climate Impact Initiative, which was supported by Pensions for Purpose.
The new group aims to encourage pension providers to offer climate-friendly investment options.
More recently, Hymans has worked alongside investment consultants such as Aon, Barnett Waddingham, Bfinance, Buck, LCP, Mercer, Redington and Willis Towers Watson to develop a questionnaire that asset owners can use to monitor diversity and inclusion as part of the asset owner diversity charter.
It has also made a climate pledge and is working to halve its carbon footprint and offset its historic carbon emissions by 2025.
Commenting on joining Pensions for Purpose, Simon Jones, head of responsible investment at Hymans Robertson, said: “We recognise that pension funds need to focus not just on how ESG and climate risks affect them, but also how the decisions that they take impact the real world.
“Addressing challenges such as climate change requires asset owners to be instigators of change, whether that be through the strategies in which they invest or the accountability they demand from others. This aligns with the vision of Pensions for Purpose and we are therefore really pleased to be taking our place in this community.”
He added: “The climate pledge we made earlier this year matters to us, both in our role as advisers within the pensions industry, but also as members of a society that is facing a systemic risk.
“We acknowledged the need to collaborate to achieve impact, and through both our Climate Impact Initiative and now our membership of Pensions for Purpose we are fulfilling our commitment to work with others and drive action.”
Charlotte O’Leary, chief executive of Pensions for Purpose, welcomed Hymans Roberston and said: “It is only through collaboration that we can achieve our mission of getting more capital to flow towards investments that have a positive impact on society and the environment.”
