| Organisational Overview | ||||||
| Organisational Overview This section captures information that helps determine if some of the subsequent questions are required and also plays a role in benchmarking. Please make sure you provide accurate answers. This is also one of the more challenging sections as it may require gathering information from multiple sources. We suggest you collect all this information before progressing to other parts of the questionnaire. | ||||||
| 1. What were your organisation's total assets under management as of the most recent count (in millions)? (Estimating to the nearest hundred million as of December 31 2008 would be preferable - although the most recent available count would be sufficient. If your currency is not listed, please select 'other' and indicate your currency or convert to United States dollars.) | 68 | |||||
| Please select currency | Euro (EUR) | |||||
| 1a. If 'other' was selected, please specify the other currency here | No Answer | |||||
2. Please pick the one category and level of complexity that best describes your organisation (if your organisation is a pension fund, please also select your pension type). This information may be used to provide you with the best possible benchmarking. Complexity
| ||||||
| Mainstream investment manager | Moderately complex | |||||
| 2a. If 'other' was selected, please specify the other category here | No answer | |||||
| 3. Please provide an approximation of your average asset mix for 2008 or your asset mix as of the most recent count (in percent):(+/- 5% is sufficient. The sum of all the fields must be 100%) | ||||||
Active | Passive | Active | Passive | |||
| Listed equity (developed markets) | 11 | 0 | 2.2 | 0 | ||
| Listed equity (emerging markets) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | 57.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | 14.3 | 0 | 0.85 | 0 | ||
| Private equity | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Listed real estate or property | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Non-listed real estate or property | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Hedge funds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Commodities | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Infrastructure | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Cash | 9.7 | 0 | 0.05 | 0 | ||
| 3.9 | 0 | 0.2 | 0 | ||
| Governance, Policy and Strategy | ||||||
| Governance, Policy and StrategyQuestions 5 through 15 are about the governance and oversight of your organisation's responsible investment activities and the associated policies and strategy. This section will be scored separately from the six Principles."Policy" in this section may refer to one overall RI policy or multiple policies that address various elements of RI. | ||||||
| 5. Do you have a policy that makes specific reference to responsible investment (RI) or environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues? | Yes | |||||
| 6. If you have a policy that makes specific reference to RI/ESG issues, which of the following Principles does it address?(Please check all that apply.) | Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices.,Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. | |||||
| 7. If you have a policy that makes specific reference to RI/ESG issues, which of the following asset classes does it apply to?(Please check all that apply.) | Listed equity (developed markets) | |||||
| 8. If you have a policy that makes specific reference to RI/ESG issues, when was your policy last reviewed? | Within the last 3 years, and planning to in 2009 | |||||
| 9. If you have a policy that makes specific reference to RI/ESG issues, has it been disclosed publicly?(If answering yes, please indicate how this statement can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering no, please explain why not.) | Yes: 'http://www.allianzgi.fr/developpement-durable-et-isr/' | |||||
10. To what extent has your approach to responsible investment been translated into a plan of action as reflected in business planning, strategic planning, or similar internal management processes?
| To a moderate extent | |||||
| 11. Who within your organisation has responsibilities related to RI implementation?(Please check all that apply.) | Chief Executive Officer or Chief Investment Officer or equivalent,Other senior management,Middle management,RI or ESG specialist | |||||
| 12. Do you have a policy or approach/process that requires screening out or excluding stocks or sectors from your investment universe? | Stocks | |||||
| 13. What are your reasons for screening out or excluding stocks or sectors from your investment universe?(Please check all that apply.) | We (and/or our clients) wish to avoid supporting the companies/sectors in question based on ethical considerations and we regard buying/holding their stock as providing such support,We believe that exclusion is a way in which we can influence the behaviour of companies (i.e. an element of our approach to engagement),We believe that certain companies/sectors are vulnerable to negative publicity surrounding the nature of their business and that this may have an adverse effect on share price performance (i.e. our screening is based on controlling investment risk),We screen for clients when requested | |||||
| 14. Please describe how your organisation assesses if there is a link between your RI activities and the performance (risk and return) of your investments: | For our equity portfolios, the monthly reporting shows the portfolio ESG profile regarding our criteria (i.e. human rights, social, environment, market behaviour, governance & the average) vs. the ESG profile of non SRI index and SRI index. Retail reporting: http://www.allianzgi.fr/FICHIERS/DOCS/LM_FR0000017329.pdf Insitutional reporting: Please find in the appendix an example of this institutional reporting for AGF Valeurs Durables (as at end December 2008). This institutional reporting also proposes a performance attribution which shows the performances of the stocks by ESG rating (Best in class / under analysis / worst in class) for the portfolio and for a non SRI index. One of our priorities will be to develop similar ESG reporting for the bond and money market asset classes. | |||||
| 15. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Governance, Policy, and Strategy here. | Two SRI co-heads, reporting directly to the Chairman/CEO, have full responsibility for further developping AGI France's SRI committment throughout the organisation. These newly created positions are fully transversal, as they have responsibility for : continuous improvement of SRI investment processes across all asset classes; developpement of new SRI products; representation in domestic and international organisations on public policy (EITI) and reporting (GRI)linked to ESG issues; and promoting SRI within Allianz Global Investors, the Allianz Group and externally. | |||||
| Principle 1 | ||||||
Principle 1: We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes.For the purposes of this questionnaire, integration is the consideration of ESG issues alongside traditional financial measures, based on the belief that ESG issues can affect the performance (risk and/or return) of investment portfolios (to varying degrees across companies, sectors, regions, asset classes and through time). Please note that the view that ESG issues can influence investment returns may be based either on
| ||||||
| 16. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle.This question and similar questions relating to each of the other Principles are being asked for three reasons. The first reason is to gather details regarding signatory implementation for inclusion in the PRI annual report on progress. The second reason is to capture activities not captured directly by questions in the Reporting and Assessment Tool. The third reason is to provide context and details to support verification calls. | Our SRI Orientation Committee composed of 11 members, including 8 external members representing a variety of backgrounds & expertises (including a senior union representative, n° 2 at CFDT; the former director of Amnesty International France; the former director of UNEP Environment & Industry; the Head of Strategy at the HEC business school; and our CEO, Géraud Brac de la Perrière) helps orient us in integrating all facets of sustainable development in our investment processes. Our SRI ratings are made available to all fund managers throughout the organisation and we are expanding our SRI product range. We have expanded into new asset classes including corporate bonds and money market funds, both on a retail and insitutional basis. The overall philosophy, approach and ESG criteria applied are broadly the same across all asset classes. | |||||
| Integration of ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes of internally managed assets | ||||||
| 17. For what percentage of your internal assets under active management do you integrate RI/ESG issues into your internal investment decision-making processes (in percent)?(+/- 5% is sufficient.) | ||||||
| Listed equity (developed markets) | 14.2 | |||||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | 4 | |||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | 4 | |||||
| Listed real estate or property | 0 | |||||
18. To what extent have you integrated RI/ESG issues into your internal active investment decision-making processes?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| ||||||
| Listed equity (developed markets) | To a large extent | |||||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | To a large extent | |||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | To a large extent | |||||
| Listed real estate or property | Not applicable | |||||
19. When forming investment views, to what extent does your organisation gather and analyse ESG information, including, where applicable, information obtained from engagement activities?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| To a large extent | |||||
20. To what extent do portfolio managers or others making investment decisions in your organisation apply the ESG information and analysis available to them when constructing and managing portfolios?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| To a large extent | |||||
21. To what extent do you have a process for improving the effectiveness of research and portfolio management processes with regards to ESG factors?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| To a large extent | |||||
22. To what extent do you have a process for assessing and improving internal investment staff competency to incorporate RI/ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| To a small extent | |||||
| Integration of ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes of externally managed assets | ||||||
| 23. For what percentage of your external assets under management are RI/ESG issues integrated into the investment decision-making processes of your external investment managers (in percent, +/- 5% is sufficient)? | ||||||
| Listed equity (developed markets) | 1 | |||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | 0 | |||||
24. To what extent have RI/ESG issues been integrated into the investment decision-making processes of your external investment managers?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q23.)
| ||||||
| Listed equity (developed markets) | Planning to in 2009 | |||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | Not applicable | |||||
25. To what extent do you consider the capabilities of external investment managers to incorporate RI/ESG issues when searching for, selecting and retaining your external investment managers?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q23.)
| Planning to in 2009 | |||||
| Integration - final comments | ||||||
| 26. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 1 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 1 that have not been captured by the questions above. | Organisationally, AGI France's SRI/ESG expertise is embedded in the respective fund management teams (SRI euro equities: 1 fund manager & 2 analysts; SRI euro bonds: 2 fund managers/analysts: SRI euro money market: 2 fund managers/analysts). Important note: AGI France is specialized in and only manages Euro zone assets. | |||||
| Principle 2 | ||||||
| Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices. | ||||||
| 27. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | As long term, active investors with a fundamental approach to research & investment management, we believe it is an important part of our fiduciary responsibility to defend the interests of our clients not only at the moment of selecting securities, but also over the full period these securities are held in the portfolios. Our portfolios are characterised by low turnover; as such we felt it was essential to revise our proxy voting policy in order to reflect our broader definition of good governance, beyond corporate governance. Thus, in Q4 2008 we revamped our voting policy to specifically reference the UN PRI and to fully integrate social and environmental criteria throughout the policy. In this vein we do not participate in any sharelending activities for all our equity portfolios, both SRI and non-SRI. | |||||
| (Proxy) voting - applies only to listed equity (developed markets), listed equity (emerging markets) and listed real estate or property. | ||||||
| 28. Do you have a (proxy) voting policy?(If 'Yes - disclosed publicly', please indicate how your (proxy) voting policy can be obtained- a URL would be sufficient. If answering no, please explain why not.) | Yes - disclosed publicly: 'http://www.allianzgi.fr/fileadmin/contribution/pdf/ISR/Politique_de_vote_2009_EN.pdf' | |||||
| 29. Does your (proxy) voting policy address environmental, social, and governance issues? | ||||||
| Environmental | Yes | |||||
| Social | Yes | |||||
| Governance | Yes | |||||
| 30. Who decided how to vote on ballot items on behalf of your organisation in 2008?(Please check all that apply.) | Internal voting or governance group | |||||
31. To what extent is information related to ballot items gathered and analysed before voting decisions are made?
| To a large extent | |||||
| 32. Do you ensure that voting is done in accordance with your voting instructions? | Yes for all | |||||
| 33. Do you inform companies of your rationale when you abstain or vote against management recommendations? | Yes for some | |||||
| 34. Please indicate how many resolutions you could have voted on and how many resolutions you did vote on in 2008:(include abstentions as votes where votes against are not possible, use the last available one year period if information for 2008 is not available or too difficult to gather, approximate numbers are acceptable. If you are unable to provide the exact number please provide an approximation of the percentage by entering 10 in the 'Resolutions could have voted on' column and your estimate in the 'Resolutions voted on' column. So if you voted on about 70% of the possible resolutions you would enter 7 in the 'Resolutions voted on' column. If you are not sure, please enter a 1 in all four fields.) | ||||||
| Domestic | 2809 | 2792 | ||||
| Foreign | 972 | 826 | ||||
| 35. For the listed equities that you manage, do you provide (proxy) voting services for your clients if they request them? | Yes - According to our own policy or client-specific policies | |||||
| 36. How does your securities lending program address voting? | We do not have a securities lending program | |||||
| 37. How many shareholder resolutions related to ESG issues did you file or co-file during 2008? | ||||||
| As lead filer | ||||||
| As co-filer | 2 | |||||
| Planning to be lead filer in 2009 | ||||||
| Planning to be co-filer in 2009 | ||||||
| 38. Please explain why you did or did not file or co-file any shareholder resolutions related to RI/ESG issues during 2008: | The two resolutions we co-filed in 2008 (Proxy Active Investors - Phitrust was the lead filer) were not accepted by the companies on the final AGM agenda. | |||||
| Engagement - general | ||||||
| 39. Who engaged with companies to seek ESG improvements in 2008?Please rank who engaged with companies according to their importance within your overall active ownership activities. You can only select Most, Second, Third and Fourth most important once each. Only the method you rank as 'Most important' will be scored for benchmarking purposes. If you wish to request that your other methods of engagement also be scored, please complete all the relevant sections and email the PRI at assessment@unpri.org when you submit your response. | ||||||
| Internal staff | Most important | |||||
| External investment manager(s) | Did not engage with companies in 2008 | |||||
| External engagement service provider(s) | Did not engage with companies in 2008 | |||||
| No Answer | |||||
| 40. Do you have a written engagement policy or other documents that direct engagement?(If 'Yes - disclosed publicly', please indicate how your policy can be obtained- a URL would be sufficient.) | Planning to in 2009 | |||||
| 41. If you have an engagement policy or other documents that direct engagement, what do they include?(Please check all that apply.) | No Answer | |||||
| 42. How many companies are you invested in? | 104 | |||||
| Engagement - internal staff | ||||||
43. To what extent do you have a process for identifying and prioritising ESG related engagement opportunities?
| To a moderate extent | |||||
44. How many portfolio companies did you engage with on ESG issues in 2008?
| ||||||
| Extensive engagement | 2 | |||||
| Moderate engagement | 13 | |||||
| Basic engagement | 15 | |||||
| 45. What proportion of your engagements addressed environmental, social or governance issues (in percent)?(One engagement may address more than one issue, so the three percentages need not add to 100%. For example, if you only had one engagement and it addressed environmental and governance issues then the answer would be 100% for environmental and 100% for governance.) | ||||||
| Environmental | 87 | |||||
| Social | 74 | |||||
| Governance | 67 | |||||
46. To what extent do you set ESG engagement objectives and attempt to evaluate your engagement success?
| To a small extent | |||||
| 47. What percentage of engagements that ended in 2008 were deemed successful (in percent)?(Engagement success: a considerable part of objectives or milestones that were set when the engagement commenced were achieved.) | 2 | |||||
48. To what extent do you have a process for assessing and improving staff competency to act as active owners and incorporate ESG issues into ownership practices?
| To a small extent | |||||
| Engagement - external engagement service provider(s) | ||||||
49. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. How many portfolio companies did your external engagement service provider(s) engage with on ESG issues on your behalf in 2008?
| ||||||
| Extensive engagement | ||||||
| Moderate engagement | ||||||
| Basic engagement | ||||||
| 50. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. What proportion of your external engagement service provider(s)'s engagements on your behalf addressed environmental, social or governance issues (in percent)?(One engagement may address more than one issue, so the three percentages need not add to 100%. For example, if you only had one engagement and it addressed environmental and governance issues then the answer would be 100% for environmental and 100% for governance.) | ||||||
| Environmental | ||||||
| Social | ||||||
| Governance | ||||||
51. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. To what extent do you contribute to and assess the ESG engagement activities of your external engagement service provider(s)?
| No Answer | |||||
| Engagement - external investment manager(s) | ||||||
52. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. How many portfolio companies did your external investment manager(s)'s engage with on ESG issues on your behalf in 2008?
| ||||||
| Extensive engagement | ||||||
| Moderate engagement | ||||||
| Basic engagement | ||||||
| 53. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. What proportion of your external investment manager(s)'s engagements on your behalf addressed environmental, social or governance issues (in percent)? (One engagement may address more than one issue, so the three percentages need not add to 100%. For example, if you only had one engagement and it addressed environmental and governance issues then the answer would be 100% for environmental and 100% for governance.) | ||||||
| Environmental | ||||||
| Social | ||||||
| Governance | ||||||
54. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. To what extent do you contribute to and assess the ESG engagement activities of your external investment manager(s)?
| No Answer | |||||
| 55. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. Did you consider the capabilities of external investment managers to engage with companies on ESG issues on your behalf when searching for, selecting and retaining your investment managers? | No Answer | |||||
| Engagement - final comments | ||||||
| 56. What ESG issues were addressed in your or your service providers'engagement initiatives? (Please check all that apply.) | Benefits and compensation,Environment,Governance,Human rights,Labour issues,Nanotechnology / novel technology,Other (please specify): 'micro-credit; executive commitment to sustainable development' | |||||
| 57. What measures do you or your external service provider(s) use to assess the impact and success of engagement? | No Answer | |||||
| 58. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 2 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 2 that have not been captured by the questions above. | Regarding our proxy voting activities, we abstained or voted against a resolutions at over 70% of annual general meetings. In terms of resolutions, we abstained or voted against 20.8% resolutions (22.7% in France; and 15.2% ex-France). In terms of our engagement activities, we are a founding member and active member of the board of the Proxy Active Investors mutual fund, which aims to improve the corporate governance practices of French CAC 40 companies. In 2008 we leveraged our involvement in the fund to press French companies (letters sent and meetings with senior executives) on the following issues(293 in total for the forty CAC 40 companies): remuneration; voting rights limitations; double voting rights; separation of roles between chairman & CEO; better board independance. | |||||
| Principle 3 | ||||||
| Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest. | ||||||
| 59. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | As long term, active, fundamental investors, we must understand the full range of risks & opprtunities companies face, in order for us to make the most informed invetment decisions. As such, we have a vested interest in obtaining more standardised and uniform company reporting from an ESG perspective. As such we are active participants in the following organisations: - Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Food Sector supplement working group: AGI France is the only investor representative in this working group, which aims to define the additional ESG reporting indicators for this key industry; - French Association of Investment Managers (AFG): AGI France's SRI Co-Heads are active members of the SRI and Corporate Governance Commissions. | |||||
| 60. Who asked investee companies (or other investment entities) to provide information about their ESG policies, practices or performance in 2008?(Please check all that apply.) | Internal staff,Internal staff collaboratively with other investors | |||||
61. To what extent did you or your external engagement service provider(s) or your external investment manager(s) have a dialogue with investee companies (or other investment entities) regarding the production of standardized reporting about their ESG policies, practices or performance in 2008?('Standardized' could also include systematic reporting in areas where standardized reporting has not yet emerged.)
| ||||||
| Listed equity (developed market) | To a large extent | |||||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | To a moderate extent | |||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | To a moderate extent | |||||
| Listed real estate or property | To a moderate extent | |||||
| 62. What formats of reporting on ESG issue policies, practices or performance have been requested? Please check all that apply. | Integrated with regular financial reports,Standalone corporate social responsibility or sustainability reporting,Global Reporting Initiative (GRI),Other (please specify): 'Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative' | |||||
63. To what extent did you or your external engagement service provider(s) or your external investment manager(s) seek information from companies regarding their practices related to norms, standards, codes of conduct or international initiatives related to ESG issues in 2008?
| To a large extent | |||||
| 64. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 3 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 3 that have not been captured by the questions above. | We were also partcipants in the GRI Materiality working group, which published the report entitled "Reaching Investors: Communicating Value through ESG Disclosures". | |||||
| Principle 4 | ||||||
| Principle 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry. | ||||||
| 65. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | We are a founding member of the Enhanced Analytics Initiative (EAI). Given the recent developments regarding PRI/EAI, we decided to publicly reaffirm (via a press release) our commitment to award 5% of our total broker commissions to the best ESG & long term research providers (based on our internal fund manager & analyst assesments). We are a founding member of the Sustainable Finance & Responsible Investment Chair with Ecole Polytechnique and the Institut d'Économie Industrielle de Toulouse. We are also a member of the board of the FIR (French SIF) and sponsors & jury members of the AFG (French Asset Management Association)/FIR's yearly "Finance & Sustainable Development" research awards (best doctoral & masters'theses, best research article, 3 stipends). | |||||
| 66. Did you consider RI/ESG requirements when searching for and selecting service providers in 2008 when applicable? | ||||||
| Investment consultant | Not applicable | |||||
| Proxy voting service provider | Yes, all of the time | |||||
| External overlay service provider | Not applicable | |||||
| Investment research provider | Yes, all of the time | |||||
| 67. Have you included RI/ESG elements in the following? | ||||||
| Investment monitoring | Not applicable | |||||
| Incentive structure (internally managed) | Yes, some of the time | |||||
| Incentive structure (externally managed) | No | |||||
| Contractual relationships with external investment managers | No | |||||
| Contractual relationships with other investment related service providers | Yes, all of the time | |||||
68. To what extent did you encourage your eligible service providers to become PRI signatories or consider RI/ESG factors in 2008?(Service providers include but are not limited to: external investment managers, investment consultants, proxy voting service providers, external engagement service providers, and investment research providers.)
| Not applicable | |||||
69. To what extent did you encourage your institutional clients to become PRI signatories or consider RI/ESG factors in 2008?
| To a small extent | |||||
70. To what extent did you encourage peer organisations to become PRI signatories or consider RI/ESG factors in 2008?
| To a small extent | |||||
| 71. Have you revisited any relationships with service providers in light of RI/ESG issue-related capabilities? | Yes | |||||
| 72. Does your broker evaluation process (which determines how you allocate commissions to brokers) include an ESG component and/or do you have a budget to pay for ESG broker research? | Yes | |||||
| 73A. What is your total investment research budget (including brokerage commissions intended to recognize research, in the same currency used in Q1) | 195000 | |||||
| 73B. what proportion of your total investment research budget is allocated to ESG research (in percent)? | 5 | |||||
74. To what extent do you identify ESG issues and suggest them to brokers or other investment research providers for research?
| To a moderate extent | |||||
75. To what extent did you engage in dialogue, lobbying or initiatives pertaining to government policy and/or industry regulations (for example, stock exchanges or accounting standards) related to RI/ESG issues in 2008?
| To a moderate extent | |||||
| 76. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 4 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 4 that have not been captured by the questions above. | AGI France spoke at the bi-annual DSW (Deutsche Schutzvereinigung fuer Wertpapierbesitz) Corporate Governance Conference. Entitled "Corporate Governance & SRI in times of Crisis", our presentation was centred around the PRI as providing a framework for reducing investor short-termism and better taking into account long term ESG risks. | |||||
| Principle 5 | ||||||
| Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles. | ||||||
| 77. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | For AGI France it is important to take part in public policy debates and participate in ESG related initiatives on issues which could ultimately impact on our investments. Multi-stakeholder and/or investor initiatives are key, particularly in areas where neither companies nor individual investors can move forward on single-handedly. In this respect we have joined the board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and are one of the very few investors which actually supports the initiative financially. We are also sponsors and speakers at the "Annual Forum for European Responsible Investments" (6th edition in Paris), which brings together asset managers, brokers, companies, institutional investors and external experts. | |||||
78. To what extent did you collaborate with other investors to improve your effectiveness in implementing each of the following Principles?
| ||||||
| Principle 1 | To a moderate extent | |||||
| Principle 2 | To a large extent | |||||
| Principle 3 | To a small extent | |||||
| Principle 4 | To a moderate extent | |||||
| 79. How did you use the PRI Engagement Clearinghouse in 2008?(Please check all that apply.) | Logged in during 2008 to use the Clearinghouse as a learning tool or to keep up to date on ongoing engagements,Planning to log in in 2009 | |||||
| 80. Did you participate in any of the following RI/ESG issue-related collaborations and/or associations? For those not listed, please use the "other" field:(Please check all that apply.) | Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI),Regional social investment organisation (for example SIF or UKSIF),Other (please specify): 'GRI - Food producers sector supplement',Other (please specify): 'AFG - member of the corporate governance committee at the French Asset Management Association',Other (please specify): 'AFG - member of the SRI committee at the French Asset Management Association' | |||||
81. Please indicate the three RI/ESG issue-related collaborative engagement initiatives and/or industry associations that you participated in most extensively and indicate how you did so:
| ||||||
| Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) | To a large extent | Joined the Board representing investors (as alternate); are also now one of a very small minority of investors supporting EITI financially | ||||
| Regional social investment organisation (for example SIF or UKSIF) | To a moderate extent | Board director of the French SIF | ||||
| 1st Other specify from Q80 | To a large extent | GRI Food Producers sector supplement : only investor within this working group | ||||
| 82. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 5 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 5 that have not been captured by the questions above. | No Answer | |||||
| Principle 6 | ||||||
| Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. | ||||||
| 83. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | We have adhhered to the AFG (French AM Association)/FIR's (French SIF) transparency code and publish our response on our web site. As this transparency code is currently being revamped, we are waiting for the new version before we update our response. http://www.allianzgi.fr/fileadmin/contribution/pdf/code_de_transparence.pdf We have recently published a new client newsletter dedicated to SRI issues and available on our web site. http://www.allianzgi.fr/fileadmin/contribution/pdf/ISR/Valeurs_1.pdf We publish annually a report on our proxy voting activities (please see link below). | |||||
84. To what extent did you disclose (privately and/or publicly) your approach to incorporating ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes in 2008?(If you disclose publicly, please indicate how this disclosure can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering not at all, please explain why not.)
| To a moderate extent: '' | |||||
| 85. How did you disclose your (proxy) voting record in 2008?(Please select all that apply. If you disclose publicly, please indicate how this disclosure can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering not at all, please explain why not.) | Disclosed to clients or beneficiaries,Disclosed publicly: 'http://www.allianzgi.fr/fileadmin/contribution/pdf/ISR/Recap_AMF_2009.pdf',Summary of votes,Guidance explaining all votes,Disclosed annually | |||||
86. To what extent did you disclose (privately and/or publicly) your RI/ESG issue-related engagement activities, results and progress in 2008?(If you disclose publicly, please indicate how this disclosure can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering not at all, please explain why not.)
| To a moderate extent: '' | |||||
| 87. Did you disclose (privately and/or publicly) RI/ESG activities, results and progress related to Principle 3, Principle 4 or Principle 5 in 2008?(If you disclose publicly, please indicate how this disclosure can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering not at all, please explain why not.) | ||||||
| Principle 3 | Yes - to clients or beneficiaries and the public | http://www.allianzgi.fr/developpement-durable-et-isr/ | ||||
| Principle 4 | Yes - to clients or beneficiaries and the public | http://www.allianzgi.fr/developpement-durable-et-isr/ | ||||
| Principle 5 | Yes - to clients or beneficiaries and the public | http://www.allianzgi.fr/developpement-durable-et-isr/ | ||||
| 88. How would you like to publish your responses to this PRI Reporting and Assessment tool?(Please check all that apply.) | Please automatically publish our responses to the reporting and assessment tool in full on the PRI website | |||||
| 89. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 6 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 6 that have not been captured by the questions above. | No Answer | |||||
| Closing Comments | ||||||
| 90. Please describe the benefits you have enjoyed as a result of signing the PRI: | The reputational benefits have been enormous, particularly at the beginning, when being a signatory was a competitive advantage, though this is less the case today in France, where institutional investors are more routinely requiring PRI signatory status for their mandates. That being said, for our organisation the PRI provides a ambitious roadmap for continuous improvement with clear signposts and long term objectives. | |||||
| 91. What has your organisation changed as a direct result of becoming a PRI signatory? | As mentioned in the "Governance" & "Principle 1" sections, our firm has continuously expanded the asset classes where ESG factors are fully integrated in the investment process. Organisationally, we have grown significantly, with SRI experts located in each asset class team (equities, bonds & money markets). Coordination is piloted by two Co-Head of SRI Development, answering directly to the Chairman/CEO. | |||||
| 92. Did the financial market turmoil of 2008 cause you to change your approach to the consideration of ESG factors or active ownership? If it did, please explain how. | The financial turmoil reinforced our firm conviction that better implementation of the PRI is the best way to avoid short-termism and better account for systemic risks. In this context the PRI also provide a useful framework for strategic thinking and planning. | |||||
| 93. What are the top three activities the PRI Secretariat could undertake to enhance and encourage further implementation of the PRI by current and prospective signatories? | ||||||
| 1. | Prioritise engagement activities & collaboration, ie. perhaps focussing on 1-2 initiatives per year. | |||||
| 2. | After conducting important research in the area of ESG added value in the area of financial performance (Mercer report), we would strongly encourage the PRI commission research demonstrating ESG added value in the areas of social & environmental performance (ie. demonstrating the added value of the positive externalities accruing to investors & society via SRI/ESG investments). | |||||
| 3. | ||||||
| 94. What are your top three PRI-related goals/priorities for 2009? | ||||||
| 1. | Reinforcing our SRI/ESG expertise and knowledge transfer across asset classes. | |||||
| 2. | Moving beyond financial performance to explore & measure social & environmental value added for SRI funds. | |||||
| 3. | Achieving successful launch of a new SRI social fund on the theme consumer protection | |||||
| 95. What were your most significant achievements in 2008 in relation to your implementation of Principles? | ||||||
| Principle 1: We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes. | With over 3,2bn¬ in SRI AUM as at 31.12.09, AGI France was ranked n°1 in France by Novéthic. Our flagship equity and money market SRI funds are the largest in France and among the largest in Europe. Notably, we are one of a very few to have successfuly sold these funds to a retail client base. Moreover, we manage 800mn¬ in instutional mandates. As a result of these successes, we can say that SRI is becoming more and more mainstream for our clients and our organisation, and thus more strategic. | |||||
| Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices. | Making specific reference to the PRI in our proxy voting policy and thus including social & environmental criteria throughout the policy. | |||||
| Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest. | We joined the Global Reporting Initiative, notably by becoming the investor representative in the Food Sector Supplement working Group. We were also participants in the Materiality working group, which published a report entitled "Reaching Investors: Communicating Value through ESG Disclosures". | |||||
| Principle 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry. | Given the recent developments regarding PRI/EAI, we decided to publicly reaffirm (via a press release) our commitment to award 5% of our total broker commissions to the best ESG & long term research providers (based on our internal fund manager & analyst assesments). | |||||
| Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles. | We become official supporters (including financially) and joined the board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. | |||||
| Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. | During France's National Sustainable Development week, we took the opportunity to communicate extensivley on AGI France's commitments regarding SRI & sustainability. An internal conference open to all staff and a press conference was organised to communicate both recent developments in SRI and impacts on our core business, as well as sustainability efforts concerning our internal operations. | |||||
| 96. What were your biggest barriers in 2008 with relation to your implementation of the Principles? | ||||||
| Principle 1: We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes. | We must continue to work on knowledge transfer of ESG expertise into new areas, including non SRI fund managers, marketing & sales teams. | |||||
| Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices. | Decided in Q4 2008 our voting policy explicitly references the UN PRI and adds E & S criteria in addition to the already existing G. As the voting season is concentrated in the first semester, it was difficult to put this new policy into practice immediately | |||||
| Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest. | As we increasingly manage SRI funds investing in mid and small cap stocks ESG disclosure remains a problem. For these companies ESG reporting is "thinner" or non-existant, and many are not covered by the ESG ratings agencies. As such we must do the primary research ourselves, which is time-consuming. | |||||
| Principle 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry. | As an exclusively Euro zone investor some issues/themes are more difficult for AGI France to work on collectively. For example, the issue of anti-personnel mines & cluster munitions has turned out to be of most concern for non European arms companies. | |||||
| Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles. | In order to be effective, we find there is a need to prioritise our involvement in collective initiatives. These are extremely valuable, but somewhat time-consumming. Additional human ressources would be necessary to become more implicated in a wide range of initiatives. | |||||
| Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. | Adapting our communications & reporting for each audience is sometimes a challenge. Because the subject of ESG and investment is relatively complex, sales staff can have a tendancy to be reactive rather than proactive. | |||||
| 97. Please indicate which principle you find the most difficult to implement and the principle you find the least difficult to implement: | ||||||
| Most difficult | Principle 1 | |||||
| Least difficult | Principle 5 | |||||