Most responsible investors agree that “one size doesn’t fit all” in ESG. For that reason all our clients receive voting policy guidance which reflects their individual beliefs.
Independent, Objective Governance Research
Minerva’s governance research policy and voting guidelines have always reflected of local best practice standards, in combination with high-level investor principles. Globally, we take account of not just the local governance codes but also supra-national bodies such as IIGCC, OECD and ICGN.
What is the basis of Minerva’s corporate governance policy?
In the first instance our research framework is dictated by our clients’ voting policies. This is supplemented by local and international guidelines. We also regularly review policy research initiated by academics and independent think-tanks.
In the UK, for example, our research builds on the guidelines published by various trade association Investor Protection Committees (IPCs):
- The Association of Investment Companies (AIC)
- The Investment Association (IA)
- Pension and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA)
- Association of British Insurers (ABI);
- The Quoted Companies Alliance (QCA)
- Association of Member Nominated Trustees (AMNT)
We also factor in the guidelines of major global investors such as, for example, Norges Bank, Aviva, Universities Superannuation Scheme, RailPen and Goldman Sachs Asset Managment, all of whom make their guidelines publicly available. The views of global investors with public voting policies are taken into account, whether they are customers or not as this ensures we can offer an across the board perspective of what constitutes best practice.
Conflicts of Interest
Minerva primarily serves institutional investors. We do have other types of clients such as remuneration consultants, academics and also issuers. However, Minerva does not provide consulting services to issuers as we believe this would compromise our ability to meet our mission to provide objective.