Netherland’s Blue Sky Group appoints Minerva Analytics as Proxy Voting Services partner

Minerva Analytics has been appointed by Blue Sky Group (BSG), the independent pensions asset manager and administrator in the Netherlands, to provide Proxy Voting Services. 

Following a competitive tendering process, Minerva Analytics has been appointed by the €23 billion Blue Sky Group to provide proxy voting services to the Dutch fund manager. Blue Sky Group is the fiduciary manager of the three separate KLM Pension Funds covering Flying Personnel, Cabin Crew and General Personnel, and also the Total Pension Fund Netherlands. Minerva will be providing Blue Sky Group with proxy voting services, which includes ESG research on the individual companies in Blue Sky Group’s investment portfolios. Blue Sky Group will also be utilising Minerva’s market-leading sustainable securities lending module, which integrates lending activity with voting policy decisions. 

Minerva founder and CEO Sarah Wilson, who has spent more than 20 years in stewardship and proxy research, said: “We are proud to have been chosen by Blue Sky Group to support their stewardship and fiduciary duty responsibilities. We are confident that Minerva’s voting platform and integrated sustainability governance research will help Blue Sky Group create long term value and contribute to the positive changes that they seek to achieve for their beneficiaries”. 

Blue Sky Group is an independent pensions administrator in the Netherlands, which has its origins in the KLM pension funds. Mario Hooghiemstra, ESG Officer at Blue Sky Group said “During the selection process, we paid a lot of attention to the possibility of developing our own flexible voting policy, into which we can integrate sustainability factors – whilst also having the ability to let our clients have their own say on their voting policies too. Minerva’s specially developed IT platform plays an important role in this, and we look forward to working with Minerva to take our voting policy to the next level”. 

*** 

Note to Editors 

Minerva Analytics is Europe’s only independent proxy voting services and ESG data provider, and is a strategic investee company of Solactive, the leading index and financial technology firm. Web: www.manifest.co.uk 

For further information please contact: 

Eden Smith | Comms Manager | eden.smith@minerva.info | +44 (0)1376 503500 | 

Last Updated: 22 July 2020