Industry superannuation funds HESTA and LGS Super have been named as global leaders in responsible investment by the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI).
Announced on Wednesday in Paris, the selection criteria for the Leaders’ Group was based on selection, appointment and monitoring of external managers in listed equity and private equity.
In total, there were six Australian firms including CBUS, First State Super, Local Government Super, VicSuper and Vision Super.
HESTA chief investment officer, Sonya Sawtell-Rickson, said the investment team had an established framework for assessing and monitoring their investment managers’ responsible investment performance that informed ongoing engagement.
“We’re continually looking to improve the integration of responsible investment practices across our investment managers through constructive engagement and education,” she said.
“This kind of engagement is really about sharing knowledge and advancing standards that set higher market expectations and supports deepening the relationships with external managers, so we’re a global investor of choice.”
LGS chief investment officer, Craig Turnbull, said: “We’re proud to have been included in the UNPRI Leaders’ Group.”
“The main aim of the UNPRI is to encourage investors to use responsible investment not only to better manage risk, but to improve returns, and this aligns with LGS’ core objective of enhancing the retirement income of our members through the responsible, long-term stewardship of their funds,” he said.
