| Organisational Overview | |||
| 1. What were your organisation's total assets under management as of 31 December 2007 (in millions)? | 34910 | ||
| Please select currency | British pound (GBP) | ||
| 1a. If 'Other' was selected, please specify the other currency here | No Answer | ||
| 4. Please provide an overview of your asset mix as of 31 December 2007 (in %): | |||
| Listed equity (developed market, active) | 13.9 | ||
| Listed equity (developed market, passive) | 0 | ||
| Listed equity (emerging market, active) | 3 | ||
| Listed equity (emerging market, passive) | 0 | ||
| Fixed income - developed markets | 43.4 | ||
| Fixed income - emerging markets | 0 | ||
| Real estate or property | 25.1 | ||
| Private equity | 4 | ||
| Hedge fund | 2.6 | ||
| Infrastructure | 0 | ||
| Currency | 0 | ||
| Commodities | 3.6 | ||
| Cash | 4.4 | ||
| Other (Please specify): | 0 | ||
| 5. Please indicate what percentage of your assets are managed internally and what percentage are managed externally (in %): | |||
| Listed equity (developed market, active) | 100 | 0 | |
| Listed equity (developed market, passive) | 0 | 0 | |
| Listed equity (emerging market, active) | 100 | 0 | |
| Listed equity (emerging market, passive) | 0 | 0 | |
| Fixed income - developed markets | 100 | 0 | |
| Fixed income - emerging markets | 0 | 0 | |
| Real estate or property | 100 | 0 | |
| Private equity | 100 | 0 | |
| Hedge fund | 100 | 0 | |
| Infrastructure | 0 | 0 | |
| Currency | 0 | 0 | |
| Commodities | 100 | 0 | |
| Cash | 100 | 0 | |
| Other (Please specify): | 0 | 0 | |
| 6. Please provide the following contact details for your main PRI contact: | |||
| URL for webpage outlining the specific services and products your organisation has to assist signatories in fulfilling their commitments to the Principles | http://www.hermes.co.uk/EOS/eos_introduction.htm | ||
| Principle 1 | |||
| 8. Do you have a statement that makes specific reference to the integration of responsible investment (RI) or environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues within investment decision making and ownership practices? | Yes, it is integrated into a broader statement and there is an independent RI/ESG statement | ||
| 9. In what year were RI/ESG issues first formally addressed in a policy statement (integrated or independent)? | 2002 | ||
| 10. Has your statement that makes specific reference to the integration of RI or ESG issues been disclosed publicly? | Yes | ||
| 11. Please indicate how this statement that makes specific reference to the integration of RI or ESG issues can be obtained (a URL would be sufficient): | www.hermes.co.uk | ||
| 12. For what percentage of your internal assets under management do you integrate RI/ESG issues into your internal investment decision-making processes? (in %) | |||
| Listed equity (developed market, active) | 100 | ||
| Listed equity (emerging market, active) | 100 | ||
| Fixed income - developed markets | 100 | ||
| Real estate or property | 100 | ||
| Private equity | 0 | ||
| Hedge fund | 100 | ||
| Commodities | 0 | ||
| Cash | 0 | ||
| 13. To what extent have you integrated RI/ESG issues into your internal investment decision-making processes? | |||
| Listed equity (developed market, active) | To a large extent | ||
| Listed equity (emerging market, active) | To a large extent | ||
| Fixed income - developed markets | To a large extent | ||
| Real estate or property | To a large extent | ||
| Private equity | No Answer | ||
| Hedge fund | To a moderate extent | ||
| Commodities | No Answer | ||
| 16. What proportion of your assets involve screening out or excluding stocks or sectors based on ethical (rather than long-term financial) criteria? (in %) | |||
| 17. Do you have any staff dedicated to RI/ESG issue analysis and/or implementation? | |||
| Investment analyst | 0 | 5 | |
| Research analyst | 0 | 5 | |
| RI/ESG issue policy advisor | 2 | 0 | |
| (proxy) Voting specialist | 20 | 0 | |
| Engagement specialist | 35 | 0 | |
| Portfolio manager | 0 | 1 | |
| Other (Please specify): | 0 | 0 | |
| 18. Which Board committee or other executive body has overall responsibility for RI/ESG issues? | Responsible Ownership Committee | ||
| 19. Do you assess the capabilities of internal investment staff to incorporate RI/ESG issues? | Yes | ||
| 20. Do you assess the capabilities of external investment managers to incorporate RI/ESG issues? | No Answer | ||
| 21. Approximately what percentage of your internal non-ESG-specialist investment management staff received RI/ESG training in 2007? (in %) | 100 | ||
| 22. What forms of RI/ESG training or awareness raising have been invested in, encouraged or provided for internal staff (investment and other)? | Informal internal training,Formal internal training,Conferences,Professional programs,Regular briefings on key issues | ||
| 23. Did you support the development of nonproprietary RI/ESG issue-related tools, metrics, analysis or academic research in 2007? | To a large extent | ||
| 24. Please indicate how the results of nonproprietary RI/ESG issue-related tools, metrics, analysis or academic research development you supported can be obtained if they have been disclosed publicly (a URL would be sufficient): | EAI membership (deputy chair), work with academics, Carbon Trust, specialist research providers and directly with sell side brokers. The results are included in some of the output of the various parties lsited above. | ||
| 25. Have you advocated/supported/ encouraged/participated in RI/ESG issue-related industry-wide training for investment professionals during 2007? | Sponsored industry events,Advocated RI/ESG coverage in professional training programs (CFA, MBA, etc.),Spoke at or attended conferences,Had dialogue or exchanges with peers,Instructed at universities or colleges | ||
| 26. What was your most significant achievement in 2007 in relation to your implementation of Principle 1? | Getting buy-in from our internal fund managers | ||
| 27. What was your biggest barrier in 2007 with relation to your implementation of Principle 1? | We have encountered no significant barriers | ||
| 28. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 1 here. | Enter text response here. | ||
| Principle 2 | |||
| 29. To what extent did you employ the following approaches in your 2007 active ownership strategy for listed equities? | |||
| (Proxy) voting | To a large extent | ||
| Direct engagement conducted privately | To a large extent | ||
| Direct engagement conducted publicly | To a moderate extent | ||
| Collaborative engagement | To a large extent | ||
| Filing shareholder resolutions | To a moderate extent | ||
| Co-filing shareholder resolutions | To a moderate extent | ||
| Other (Please specify): | Not applicable | ||
| 30. To what extent did you employ the following approaches in your 2007 active ownership strategy for all asset classes other than listed equity? | |||
| (Proxy) voting | To a large extent | ||
| Direct engagement conducted privately | To a large extent | ||
| Direct engagement conducted publicly | Not at all | ||
| Collaborative engagement | Planning to in 2008 | ||
| Other (Please specify): | Not at all | ||
| 31. Do you have a (proxy) voting policy? | Yes - disclosed publicly | ||
| 32. To what extent does your (proxy) voting policy direct action on ESG issues? For each issue, please indicate the extent of direction. | |||
| Environmental | To a moderate extent | ||
| Social | To a moderate extent | ||
| Governance | To a large extent | ||
| 33. Does your (proxy) voting policy apply to all voting regions (where possible)? | Yes | ||
| 34. Please indicate how your (proxy) voting policy can be obtained (a URL would be sufficient): | www.hermes.co.uk | ||
| 35. Do you ensure that voting is done in accordance with your (proxy) voting policy? | Yes for all | ||
| 36. What percentage of total votes cast were against management? (in %) | 0.55 | ||
| 37. What percentage of shareholder resolutions relating to environmental, social or governance issues was supported? (in %) | |||
| Environmental | 35 | ||
| Social | 30 | ||
| Governance | 60 | ||
| 38. Do you conduct (proxy) voting on behalf of your clients? | Yes - According to our own policy or client-specific policies | ||
| 39. How many shareholder resolutions related to RI/ESG issues did you participate in during 2007? | |||
| As lead filer | 4 | ||
| As co-filer | 1 | ||
| Planning to be lead filer in 2008 | 4 | ||
| Planning to be co-filer in 2008 | 5 | ||
| 40. How were portfolio companies engaged with in 2007? Please check all that apply. | Internal staff engaged portfolio companies directly,Internal staff engaged portfolio companies collaboratively | ||
| 41. Do you systematically bring RI/ESG issue-related engagement opportunities to your clients? | To a large extent | ||
| 43. How many portfolio companies did you engage directly/were engaged on your behalf on ESG issues in 2007? | |||
| Environmental | 8 | 30 | 150 |
| Social | 6 | 21 | 146 |
| Governance | 41 | 149 | 891 |
| 44. What RI/ESG-related issues were addressed in your shareowner engagement initiatives? Please check all that apply. | Activities in conflict zones,Benefits and compensation,Bribery/corruption,Climate change,Environment,Governance,HIV/AIDS,Health,Health and safety,Human rights,Labour issues,Nanotechnology / novel technology,Other (please specify): 'strategy, capital structure, risk management, access to medicines, shareholder rights, nominations process, audit, public policy...' | ||
| 45. How were RI/ESG issue-related engagement targets and topics identified? Please check all that apply. | Client directive,Sector exposure,Risk profile,Focus issue,Ad hoc/reactive,NGO or union campaign,Other (please specify): 'proprietary screening and financial analysis' | ||
| 46. Do you set RI/ESG issue-related engagement objectives and attempt to evaluate success? | To a large extent | ||
| 47. Have you sought evidence relating to the effectiveness of your active ownership strategy? Please check all that apply. | Governance practices changed,(Written) commitment to improve a particular ESG issue,Improved disclosure,Collaborative work with a company on a specific ESG issue,Other evidence of improvement in investee company RI/ESG performance due to our activities,Shareholder resolutions withdrawn after successful negotiations with portfolio companies,Satisfactory percentages of (proxy) votes in favour of filed or co-filed shareowner resolutions,Impact on share price | ||
| 48. What was your most significant achievement in 2007 in relation to your implementation of Principle 2? | Gaining the European Court of Justice's agreementto force the amendment of an article of the Italian civil code. This will prevent political authorities from exerting disproportionate influence over Italian listed companies and was the end result of a three year engagement. | ||
| 49. What was your biggest barrier in 2007 with relation to your implementation of Principle 2? | We encountered no significant barriers | ||
| 50. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 2 here. | The design of this question makes it difficult to provide a proper description of our engagement work, which is iterative, multi-faceted and focussed on value-enhancing change | ||
| Principle 3 | |||
| 51. Have you asked that investee companies (or other investment entities) produce standardized reporting on their RI/ESG issue policies, practices or performance (within annual financial reports or other formats)? | To a large extent | ||
| 52. What format of standardized reporting on RI/ESG issue policies, practices or performance have you requested? | Integrated with regular financial reports,Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) | ||
| 53. Have you provided feedback to investee companies (or other investment entities) on their reporting on RI/ESG issues? | To a moderate extent | ||
| 54. Have you sought information from companies regarding their adoption of/adherence to norms, standards, codes of conduct or international initiatives related to RI/ESG issues? | |||
| Adoption | To a large extent | ||
| Adherence | To a large extent | ||
| 55. Which norms, standards, codes of conduct or international initiatives related to RI/ESG issues have you sought information about from companies, with regard to their adoption of/adherence to? | UN Global Compact,International Labour Organization standards,OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises,Universal Declaration of Human Rights | ||
| 56. What was your most significant achievement in 2007 in relation to your implementation of Principle 3? | We made significant progress in improving disclosure on carbon-related risk through direct engagement with companies and our participation in IIGCC | ||
| 57. What was your biggest barrier in 2007 with relation to your implementation of Principle 3? | We have encountered no significant barriers. | ||
| 58. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 3 here. | Enter text response here. | ||
| Principle 4 | |||
| 59. Are you considering RI/ESG requirements when searching for and selecting the following? | |||
| Investment consultant | Yes | ||
| Proxy voting | Yes | ||
| Engagement overlay | Not applicable | ||
| Investment research | Yes | ||
| Internal operations (for example, purchasing, travel, office space etc.) | Yes | ||
| Other (Please specify): | Not applicable | ||
| 60. Have you linked the following to performance on RI/ESG issues? | |||
| Investment monitoring | Yes | ||
| Incentive structure (internal investments) | Yes | ||
| Incentive structure (external investments) | Not applicable | ||
| Contractual relationships with external investment managers | Not applicable | ||
| 61. Are the default pension funds or retirement plans offered to your employees also signatories to the PRI? | No | ||
| 62. To what extent do you encourage your service providers to become PRI signatories? | To a large extent | ||
| 63. To what extent do you encourage your clients to become PRI signatories? | To a large extent | ||
| 64. To what extent do you encourage peer organisations to become PRI signatories? | To a large extent | ||
| 65. Do you have evidence that you have played a role in the improved integration of RI/ESG issues by external investment managers? | No Answer | ||
| 66. Does your broker evaluation process include an ESG component or do you have a budget to pay cash for ESG broker research? | Yes | ||
| 67. Have you revisited any relationships with service providers in light of RI/ESG issue-related capabilities? | Yes | ||
| 68. Have you engaged in dialogue, lobbying or initiatives pertaining to government policy and/or industry regulations (for example, stock exchanges, accounting standards) related to RI/ESG issues in 2007? | To a large extent | ||
| 69. What was your most significant achievement in 2007 in relation to your implementation of Principle 4? | Obtaining a grant fron the Carbon Trust to sponsor a PRI collaborative engagement on carbon risk | ||
| 70. What was your biggest barrier in 2007 with relation to your implementation of Principle 4? | We encountered no significant barriers | ||
| 71. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 4 here. | Enter text response here. | ||
| Principle 5 | |||
| 72. Did you use the PRI Engagement Clearinghouse in 2007? | Both used and posted to it | ||
| 73. Did your use of the clearinghouse result in subsequent action or collaboration with other signatories? | Yes | ||
| 74. Please elaborate on how the PRI Engagement Clearinghouse could be made more useful: | Better co-ordination by PRI executive | ||
| 75. To what extent do you participate in the following RI/ESG issue-related collaborative engagement initiatives and/or industry associations? For those not listed, please use the "other" field: | Carbon Disclosure Project,Council of Institutional Investors (CII),Enhanced Analytics Initiative (full member) (EAI),Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI),Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC),International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN),Marathon Club,Regional social investment organisation (for example SIF or UKSIF),United Nations Environmental Program Finance Initiative (UNEP FI),Other (please specify): 'GIGN, Corporate Governance Forum (UK), Asian Corporate Governanace Association, Performance Pay Group (UK), Assogestioni (Italy), Eumedion (NL), FIR (France), IMA, IoD' | ||
| 76. 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: | |||
| Enhanced Analytics Initiative (full member) (EAI) | We provide the Deputy Chair | ||
| Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) | We are on the Steerign Group | ||
| International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) | We are on three of its standing committees | ||
| 77. What was your most significant achievement in 2007 in relation to your implementation of Principle 5? | Taking forward several extensive and effective engagements through the PRI clearinghouse. | ||
| 78. What was your biggest barrier in 2007 with relation to your implementation of Principle 5? | We encountered no significant barriers. | ||
| 79. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 5 here. | Enter text response here. | ||
| Principle 6 | |||
| 80. Have you disclosed how RI/ESG issues are integrated into your investment processes? | Yes - to clients or beneficiaries and the public | ||
| 81. Please indicated how this disclosure of how RI/ESG issues are integrated into your investment processes can be obtained (a URL would be sufficient): | www.hermes.co.uk | ||
| 82. To what extent do you disclose your annual (proxy) voting record? | Disclose votes and guidance explaining votes | ||
| 83. Please indicated how your (proxy) voting record can be obtained (a URL would be sufficient): | www.hermes.co.uk | ||
| 84. Do you systematically report (privately and/or publicly) on your RI/ESG issue-related engagement activities, results and progress? | To a large extent | ||
| 85. Please indicate how your reporting on RI/ESG issue-related engagement activities, results and progress can be obtained (if it is publicly available, a URL would be sufficient): | Reports provided to clients. Available to PRI secretariat on request. | ||
| 88. Are you undertaking any additional efforts to raise awareness of the PRI and RI/ESG issues amongst stakeholders? | Planning to in 2008 | ||
| 89. What evidence do you have of the impact on external investment manager practices? Please check those that apply. | No Answer | ||
| 90. Have you sought to determine what impact your overall RI/ESG issue-related efforts (voting and engagement, investment decision making, disclosure, etc.) have had on corporate behavior or performance? | To a large extent | ||
| 91. Have you sought to determine what impact your RI/ESG issue-related approach has had on the performance of your portfolio? | To a large extent | ||
| 92. Have you sought to determine what impact your RI/ESG issue-related efforts, requests and guidance have had on the consideration of RI/ESG issues by your external service providers excluding external investment managers (for example: research providers, consultants, etc.)? | Planning to in 2008 | ||
| 93. Do you report on progress and/or achievements relating to the PRI or RI, and how would you like to publish your response to this assessment? | Please automatically publish our responses to the reporting and assessment tool in full on the PRI website | ||
| 94. What was your most significant achievement in 2007 in relation to your implementation of Principle 6? | Publishing full voting records | ||
| 95. What was your biggest barrier in 2007 with relation to your implementation of Principle 6? | We encountered no significant barriers. | ||
| 96. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 6 here. | Enter text response here. | ||
| Emerging Markets | |||
| 97. To what extent have you actively thought about how to integrate RI/ESG issues within investment decision making and ownership practices with regards to emerging markets investments? | To a large extent | ||
| 98. Please describe your activities with regards to integrating RI/ESG issues within investment decision making and ownership practices with regards to emerging markets investments. | This is present within our voting, engagement and public policy / best practice work. Also, our EOS and emerging market investment teams work together closely on these issues | ||
| 99. To what extent do you believe the integration of ESG issues in emerging markets is as relevant as the integration of ESG issues in other markets? | To the same extent | ||
| 100. To what extent did you employ the following approaches in your 2007 active ownership strategy in emerging markets? | |||
| (Proxy) voting | To a large extent | ||
| Direct engagement conducted privately | To a large extent | ||
| Direct engagement conducted publicly | To a small extent | ||
| Collaborative engagement | To a large extent | ||
| Filing shareholder resolutions | Not at all | ||
| Co-filing shareholder resolutions | Not at all | ||
| Other (Please specify): policy / best practice engagement | To a moderate extent | ||
| 101. To what extent have you developed a comprehensive RI/ESG engagement capability regarding business activities in emerging markets? | To a large extent | ||
| 102. Please list the three most often addressed RI/ESG-related issues in your shareholder engagement initiatives in emerging markets? | |||
| 1. | Accountability | ||
| 2. | Human rights | ||
| 3. | Bribery / corruption | ||
| 103. Have you sought information from companies regarding their adoption of/adherence to norms, standards, codes of conduct or international initiatives related to RI/ESG issues in emerging markets? | |||
| Adoption | To a large extent | ||
| Adherence | To a large extent | ||
| 104. Do you take RI/ESG considerations into account when selecting and approving emerging markets external investment managers? | Planning to in 2008 | ||
| 105. Do your consultants factor RI/ESG issues into their short listing of emerging markets external investment managers? | Not at all | ||
| 106. Do you have evidence that you have played a role in the improved integration of RI/ESG issues by external investment managers investing in emerging markets? | Not at all | ||
| 107. To what extent have you worked together with other investors to improve the effectiveness of implementing the PRI in emerging markets? | To a moderate extent | ||
| 108. Are you undertaking any additional efforts to raise awareness of RI/ESG issues in emerging markets? | Planning to in 2008 | ||
| 109. Have you sought to determine what impact your RI/ESG issue-related efforts (voting and engagement, investment decision making, disclosure, etc.) have had on corporate behaviour or performance in emerging markets? | To a large extent | ||
| 110. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to the PRI in emerging markets here. | No Answer | ||
| 111. What is your top PRI-related goal/priority for emerging markets in 2008? | Expansion of our activities into several African countries | ||
| Closing Comments | |||
| 112. Why did your organisation join the PRI? | Because it is closely aligned with our current activities and objectives. | ||
| 113. Please describe the benefits you have enjoyed as a result of signing the PRI: | Participation in collaborative engagements through the clearinghouse | ||
| 114. To what extent do you believe the PRI has succeeded in changing investor behaviour and/or raising awareness or capacity on RI/ESG issues? Do you have any examples you could share? | The PRI has been successful in raising awareness as evidenced by the growing number of signatories | ||
| 115. 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. | Better co-ordination of clearinghouse engagements | ||
| 2. | A greater recognition of the complexities and sensitivities involved in direct corporate engagement | ||
| 3. | More consideration and advice around the implementation of of PRI in different assets classes | ||
| 116. What are your top three PRI-related goals/priorities for 2008? | |||
| 1. | Consider what additional activities may be appropriate in different asset classes | ||
| 2. | Meet and share experiences with other signatories | ||
| 3. | Consider means of communicating activities to beneficiaries | ||
| 117. Please rank the six principles from most difficult to implement to least difficult to implement: | |||
| Most difficult 1 | Principle 1 | ||
| 2 | Principle 6 | ||
| 3 | Principle 3 | ||
| 4 | Principle 4 | ||
| 5 | Principle 5 | ||
| Least difficult 6 | Principle 2 | ||