Mars appoints Henderson to provide SRI stakeholder
Mars Foods, a fish processor; has appointed Henderson Investors to
provide a stakeholder scheme with a socially responsible investment (SRI)
element.
The firm identified over-fishing in the North Sea as a serious
threat to its employees and business and searched for a SRI provider. Changes
to pension funds' statement of investment principles reflecting views on SRI
will be a catalyst to consumer empowerment, believes Mark Campanale, Investment
marketing manager; at Henderson Investors.
He said: "It is about empowering
the individual and making sure their concerns are being respected by the people
who will be paying out their pension."
Campanale said he felt pressure
groups had a role in raising awareness among consumers about SRI issues while
it was up to fund managers to explain to the trustees the practical ways to
address SRI. However, Campanale feels many fund managers should integrate their
own SRI research with their house investment process.
He said there was a
tendency among fund managers to externalise their SRI research and then
superimpose it on to their fund management process rather than Integrating the
two elements. Campanale said engagement with companies should be part of the
wider investment process if returns were to be maximised rather than simply
part of an asset manager's SRI offering.
Henderson Investors integrates
both its investment management process and its SRI research team and takes the
view that companies will grow at a faster rate if they take into account SRI
issues, particularly those focused on sustainable development. Henderson
Investors is emerging as one of the leaders in SRI though its future as a chief
SRI player will depend on whether pension funds agree that integrated research
and processes are important.
Last week, John Gummer; the former secretary
of state for the environment, told Pensions Week that he thought the
City had been slow to recognise a financial link between environmental and
financial issues (PW 3.7.00).
By Karen Talbot, Pensions Week
10 July, 2000
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