Voting - overview
Voting is one of the key ways in which we can communicate our views and positively influence how a company is run. We will always use our voting powers to vote in the best interest of our clients, even if it means voting against management.
We vote on a variety of resolutions many of which are corporate governance-related, such as the approval of directors and accepting reports and accounts. We are pleased to see an increasing number of resolutions focused on environmental and social issues, including both shareholder and management resolutions.
In line with best practice we have adopted a “support or explain” approach to environmental and social resolutions, aiming to vote in favour of these resolutions where they align with our sustainability ambitions. We believe it is important for us to be transparent about our voting practices and clear that all environmental and social resolutions are analysed in detail before we reach a decision.
As part of our engagement escalation framework, we may also use votes against management to signal a lack of progress. On a monthly basis, we produce our voting report which details how votes were cast, including votes against management and abstentions. We classify the latter as being significant so also publish the rationale behind these decisions.
Through peak proxy season (April to July) we also publish weekly reports focusing on how we have voted on environmental and social resolutions.
2022
2021
Disclaimer
Past performance is no guarantee of future performance. The value of investments and the income from them can go down as well as up, and you (or your clients) might not get back what you originally invested.