Investing for sustainable outcomes
We view our role in the investment chain with a straightforward clarity of purpose. As asset managers, aligning the long-term investment horizons of our clients’ capital with companies that will use that capital to create sustainable value is our ultimate fiduciary duty.
Stewardship and ESG are integral elements of our investment process, and are led by our portfolio managers and analysts who know the companies best and have day-to-day responsibility for investment decisions. Implementation is overseen firmwide by David Sheasby, Head of Stewardship and ESG.
For many years, our stewardship activities have benefited our clients through three interconnecting qualities:
By fully integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) analysis into the investment process we can better understand the non-financial, or more accurately, the ‘not-yet-financial’ factors that can impact a company’s ability to generate long-term, sustainable returns. At the heart of each stage of our ESG process is engagement, which is led by our portfolio managers and analysts with day-to-day responsibility for investment decisions.
Identification
Identification of material and relevant ESG issues using in-house industry frameworks, common risk frameworks and ESG toolkit.
Active Ownership
Extensive engagement with investee companies both privately and collaboratively. Advocacy through voting of our clients' proxies based on our investment thesis.
Integration
Key ESG factors and proprietary assessments incorporated into all investment decisions.
Being early signatories to the PRI and at the forefront of change for us, has also meant leading change: setting the frameworks for collaborative engagement, influencing policy, clearly articulating our approach, and evolving our proprietary analysis.
Signatory to Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) since 2009.
Signatory to the UK, Japanese and Korean Stewardship Codes.
Signatory to the CDP Investor Statement.
Member of the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN).
Endorsement of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) investor statement.
Global Investor Statement to Government on Climate Change.
Member of Climate Action 100+.
Participant in the Council of Institutional Investors (CII).
Supporter of the Taskforce for Climate Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).
Member of the UNEP Finance Initiative, focused on Responsible Investment.
Signatory to Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative.
We believe in working towards a more sustainable investment environment that can better deliver long-term value creation for our clients.
Awarded the highest possible (A+) rating by the PRI* across all three categories and we are in the top 9% of asset managers for active ownership.
Tier-1 ranking by the FRC for our statement of compliance with the UK Stewardship Code.
Industry committee memberships with PRI Stewardship, IA Stewardship and IA Sustainability and Responsible Investment.
Extensive collaboration with International Integrated Reporting Council and UK Financial Reporting Council.
Research and thought leadership shared with clients and industry.
*PRI – Principles for Responsible Investment. Engagement and voting activity is for the period 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019.
Our ESG vision
As references to sustainability issues become increasingly commonplace within the investment industry, Martin Currie can quite rightly claim genuine leadership in this space.
Stewardship Institute
The Martin Currie Stewardship Institute leverages our extensive in-house expertise and global investment reach to share original insights and best practice on Stewardship and ESG issues, focusing on topics that are aligned to the long-term investment horizons of our clients’ capital such as human rights and modern slavery, climate change, decarbonisation, UN SDGs and diversity.
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Net Zero: managing the wider impact of economic and capital displacement
David Sheasby, Head of Stewardship & ESG and John Gilmore, Stewardship & ESG Specialist highlight that while focusing on climate action, it is important not to lose sight of other societal and developmental priorities that may occur as the economy is reprofiled.
- Date published
- 15 Jun 2021
- Tag
- Stewardship Institute
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Net Zero: the role of capital markets
Martin Currie’s Stewardship and ESG leadership team, David Sheasby and John Gilmore, look at the ways that markets and investors can help realise the goal of net zero.
- Date published
- 4 May 2021
- Tag
- Stewardship Institute
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Net Zero: from policy to action
David Sheasby, Head of Stewardship & ESG and John Gilmore, Portfolio Manager / Stewardship & ESG Specialist identify the key challenges ahead in the journey to net zero.
- Date published
- 19 Mar 2021
- Tag
- Stewardship Institute
Related insights
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Stewardship Matters - Edition 3
Our regular update of Martin Currie’s work in the stewardship and ESG space and our insights into future ESG trends. EDITION 3 focuses on quantifying the impact and opportunities of decarbonisation.
- Date published
- 13 Jul 2021
- Tag
- Stewardship Matters
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Net Zero: managing the wider impact of economic and capital displacement
David Sheasby, Head of Stewardship & ESG and John Gilmore, Stewardship & ESG Specialist highlight that while focusing on climate action, it is important not to lose sight of other societal and developmental priorities that may occur as the economy is reprofiled.
- Date published
- 15 Jun 2021
- Tag
- Stewardship Institute
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Latest Stewardship Activity: April
The latest update from David Sheasby, Head of Stewardship & ESG.
- Date published
- 12 May 2021
- Tag
- Stewardship & ESG
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Stewardship Annual Report 2021
Investing to improve lives
Highlighting the results of our sustained commitment to the development of productive ESG engagements embedded in our investment process.
Stewardship Matters - Edition 4
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Our regular update of Martin Currie’s work in the stewardship and ESG space and our insights into future ESG trends. EDITION 4 provides us with an opportunity to hold a mirror to how we are Investing to Improve Lives.
Stewardship documents
Shareholders’ Rights Directive II Reports
Under the European Union directive, please find the following Shareholder Rights Directive reports for our UK and European funds.