Opalesque Industry Update - Unigestion, the boutique institutional asset manager with GBP 9.0 billion ($13.7bn) of assets under management, has signed the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI). These principles constitute a widely-respected set of guidelines that can be adopted by institutions who wish to incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues into their investment decision-making. Unigestion is convinced of the value of considering ESG criteria in its investment processes and believes that responsible investment practices truly have the potential to improve the risk management of clients’ portfolios. By becoming a signatory of the UN PRI, the company will place greater importance on the role that ESG analysis plays in its investment processes across its entire product range. Unigestion will also spend more time engaging with underlying funds’ managers about their ESG behaviour, encouraging them to make improvements where necessary. Christian Dujardin, Head of Investment Solutions within Unigestion’s Private Equity investment line, will be responsible for driving Responsible Investment initiatives throughout the company. He is enthused by his new responsibilities, commenting: “Unigestion and the UN PRI are a natural fit. The UN PRI have rapidly come to represent the global benchmark when it comes to responsible investing, while Unigestion has upheld the highest standards of business ethics, respect and transparency since its foundation. I am looking forward to working closely alongside colleagues and the PRI network to strengthen the important roles that ESG criteria and engagement already play in our diverse range of investment products.” Fiona Frick, CEO of Unigestion, stressed the benefits of this move for the company’s clients. “There’s no question that analysing ESG factors thoroughly in our investment processes help us identify potential risks earlier on, and that increases the robustness of our clients’ portfolios. Unigestion takes its status as a responsible investor extremely seriously, and I’m delighted that we have become a signatory to this important set of principles.” Press release Unigestion, has GBP 9.0 billion of assets under management, 92% managed on behalf of 230 institutional investors and 8% on behalf of a few high net worth families. Established more than 40 years ago, Unigestion is a time tested organisation. We align our interests with those of our clients by investing our capital in the strategies we manage for them, thereby developing partnerships with them. With 169 employees from 18 nationalities, Unigestion is headquartered in Geneva and has offices in major financial centers around the world: Zurich, London, New York, Paris, Singapore and Guernsey. Bg |
Industry Updates
Unigestion signs the UN principles for responsible investment
Friday, April 19, 2013
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