Best investors & analysts for SRI & corporate governance announced. IRRI Global Survey Results published

Jay OwenSRI/ESG News, Beyond GDP

MSCI ESG Research cited as best firm for SRI & Corporate Governance research in major investor poll | CDP tops category for best climate-change research | Unilever, Mirova and CalPERS win categories for best contributions by companies, asset managers and asset owners

London [6 February 2017] –WeConvene Extel and www.SRI-CONNECT.com today announced the results of the Independent Research in Responsible Investment (IRRI) Survey 2016; the most authoritative global survey evaluating how asset managers rate the services of independent providers of sustainable and responsible investment (SRI) & corporate governance (CG) research.

Award winner from the major categories were:

For SRI

  • Best SRI analysis (firm): MSCI ESG Research
    • Runners-up: Sustainalytics & CDP
  • Best SRI analysts (individual): Linda-Eling Lee (MSCI ESG Research)
    • Runners up: Gregory Elders (Bloomberg), Gustavo Pimentel (Sitawi)
  • Best Salesperson for SRI research: Daniel Sailer (MSCI ESG Research)
    • Runners-up: Maria Lilli (MSCI ESG Research), Annika Manninen (MSCI ESG Research) & Sarah Smith (Sustainalytics)

For Corporate Governance

  • Best Corporate Governance analysis (firm): MSCI ESG Research
    • Runners-up: ISS & Sustainalytics
  • Best Corporate Governance analyst (individual): Alan Brett (MSCI ESG Research)
    • Runners-up: Adam Ward (MSCI ESG Research) & Irina Burcea (Solaron) & Vipul Arora (Solaron)
  • Best Salesperson for Corporate Governance research: Daniel Sailer (MSCI ESG Research)
    • Runners-up: Annika Manninen (MSCI ESG Research) & Sarah Smith (Sustainalytics)

Amongst Companies

  • Best company for SRI: Unilever
    • Runners up: Novo Nordisk, BHP Billiton, Latam Airlines Group

About Asset Managers and Owners

  • Asset Owner contribution to sustainable investment: CalPERS (USA)
    • Runners-up: Government Pension Fund Global (Norway) & ERAFP (France)
  • Asset Manager contribution to sustainable investment: Mirova (France)
    • Runners-up: Nordea (Sweden) & Comgest (France)

Insights & innovation

  • Best analysts (nominated by companies): Cedric Laverie (Amundi), Edouard Dubois (Blackrock), Jérôme Sauty de Chalon (Amundi), Hardik Shah (Sustainalytics), Erika Karp (Cornerstone Capital), Fanny Tora (Vigeo Eiris), Gustavo Pimentel (Sitawi), Elaine Prior (Citi), Erwan Crehalet (Exane), Marcus Pratsch (DZ Bank), & Niamh Whooley (Societe Generale)
  • Most innovative research product: CDP Quarterly Sector Report Series
    • Runners-up: Solaron for ESG Performance Tracker; Sustainalytics for Unlocking the Black Box of Value Creation; MSCI for Impact Investing in Public Markets

Other category winners

  • Best for: Climate change research: CDP
  • Best for: Engagement services: Hermes Equity Ownership Services
  • Best for: News: Bloomberg
  • Best for: Voting execution: ISS

The dynamics of SRI research and communications

Alongside the rankings, IRRI explores the dynamics of SRI & corporate governance research and the communications practices of companies.  Highlights of this research includes:

  • 50% of asset owners explicitly mandate asset managers to integrate sustainability and corporate governance factors into investment
  • 73% of asset managers see direct contact with companies on sustainability and corporate governance issues as important to their investment research process.  (30% call it a ‘top priority’)
  • Investor relations managers are taking control of the SRI and corporate governance (45% of companies have IR leading on SRI communications; 36% allocate this responsibility to CSR teams).
  • Strong demand from all sides (companies, investors and analysts) for closer linkage in between sustainability and financial information in reporting and analysis

Survey details

The survey ran through November 2016 and received responses from 1,363 voters from 704 different firms in 58 different countries.  It asked for quantitative and qualitative responses from asset managers globally on how they rate the SRI research published by independent providers, as well as from the research providers themselves on how well quoted companies communicate their sustainability performance to investment analysts and on how asset managers communicate their research needs.

Comment

“At a headline level, the IRRI 2016 Survey tells us that the market for SRI & corporate governance research is strong and that it is discerning of quality.” said David Enticknap, Managing Director of WeConvene Extel.  “It also tells us that the appetite for direct and efficient communications between companies on these investors is considerable.”

“The IRRI results show the depth, variety and innovation available in SRI & corporate governance research markets.” added Mike Tyrrell, Editor of www.SRI-CONNECT.com.  “Investment research markets worldwide are under scrutiny with asset managers encouraged to find the best insights and also focus on research costs.  It is, therefore, encouraging to see that SRI & corporate governance research have the strength, depth and openness to respond to both needs.”

A report with findings from the survey is available on www.sri-connect.com.

About Extel

Extel Europe conducts market studies across all three sides of the investment community throughout Europe and Asia, delivering a comprehensive range of rankings, market trends and sentiment insights. Extel Europe is the largest study of its kind worldwide, with over 20,000 participants from 80 countries casting more than 1.1 million individual votes. All rankings in Extel are based purely on weighted votes from the investment community. The scope and branding of Extel is widely recognized by brokerage firms, asset managers and corporates alike.

About WeConvene

WeConvene is a global web-based platform designed to eliminate the inefficiencies of managing the corporate access process for the investment community. Events large and small can impact investment strategies and WeConvene provides value to both buy and sell side customers by enabling efficient discovery, booking and tracking of meetings. WeConvene was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Hong Kong with offices in London and New York. For more information visit www.weconvene.com or request a demo by contacting [email protected]

About SRI-CONNECT

SRI-CONNECT is an online global marketplace for SRI research and meeting point for companies, investors and their respective advisors.  It provides practical research resources and communications channels to accelerate the inclusion of sustainability and corporate governance factors in ‘mainstream’ analysis & investment.

CONTACTS

David Enticknap

Managing Director

WeConvene Extel Ltd.

+44 20 2567 0983

[email protected]