News
FairPensions and CAFOD launch Unearth Justice 2008
FairPensions has launched a new campaign with CAFOD, the Catholic development agency, to tackle abuses in the mining industry through investor power. Read the press release announcing the initiative here.
Read more
Mercer expands Responsible Investment team with six
hires
Mercer has created the largest dedicated responsible investment consultancy team, following the appointment of six sustainability specialists. The analysts, who will join the company's advisory teams across the globe, have been recruited to cope with a growing demand from pension funds seeking advice on sustainability issues (Pensions Week 14/1/08).
Read more
Survey of pension fund environmental and social policies reveals the transparent, the unaccountable, and some avoidable financial risks
A report by FairPensions has found that although leading pension funds now recognise the financial benefits of managing potential environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in their portfolios, pension funds of many well-known companies still appear to be neglecting issues such as climate change and human rights.
Read More
Founder Alex van der Velden interviewed for BloombergTV.
Founder Alex van der Velden speaking to BloombergTV
Click here to see a second video of founder Alex van der Velden, interviewed for the Responsible Investor website.
FairPensions' survey unveils truth - and risks - behind fund managers' "corporate responsibility" policies
The FairPensions' Fund Manager Transparency and Engagement Survey reveals that 75% of fund managers analysed do not publicly disclose any policies relating to environmental and social issues.
Read More
Joint campaign by Oxfam and FairPensions forces Novartis to drop challenge to Indian patent law
A campaign by Oxfam, with help from FairPensions, has helped to secure the availability of affordable generic medicines for millions of people in developing countries. On 6th August Novartis, a major pharmaceutical company, announced that it would not appeal a ruling by the High Court in Chennai, India. The company was attempting to challenge an Indian law that allows the government to refuse patents for medicines which are "not truly innovative" and thus clear the way for the production of affordable generic medicines. Oxfam believes this law is crucial for the provision of medicines to some of the world's poorest people.
Read More
FairPensions seeks new Chair of Trustees
Stephen Hine, founding Chairman of FairPensions' Board of Directors will soon be stepping down after three years of dedicated service.
We are seeking to recruit a new Chair of Trustees who has the vision and enthusiasm to lead the organisation through the next exciting phase of our development. We have a board of trustees that features leading figures from the responsible investment sector - including leading investment advisors, capital market campaigners from NGOs and trade unions, former pension trustees and an internationally renowned legal expert.
Read More
FairPensions persuades Lewisham to adopt responsible investment
We are delighted to announce that the London Borough of Lewisham's pension fund has decided to adopt a policy of responsible investment.
Following briefings and a presentation by FairPensions, Lewisham's pension fund committee have decided to survey all their members about ethical issues. This move will make them one of the only UK pension funds to give their members a say in how their money is invested.
They will also join the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum, which uses their collective shareholder influence to promote high levels of corporate social responsibility among the companies in which they invest.
Welcome Howard Baker, Director of Investor Engagement
October brings expansion to FairPensions Management Team as Howard Baker joins us as Director of Investment Engagement.
Howard has recently completed an MA in Understanding and Securing Human Rights at the University of London. Previously he worked for over twenty years in corporate and investment banking at TD Securities in London, where amongst other roles he established and lead their European Special Industries, Media and Telecoms and Credit Asset Management groups, and also acted as a non-executive director for the venture capital fund Baring Communications (Emerging Europe) Limited. He has conducted pro-bono consulting / voluntary work for WWF, Amnesty International, Peace Direct and The Connection at St. Martins, and obtained a degree in economics from Cambridge University.
Pension Fund Transparency under FairPensions' spotlight again
For the second year running, FairPensions is conducting a survey of transparency and engagement among the UK's Top 20 Pension Funds. This year's survey places particular emphasis on engagement on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues. It will examine the funds' transparency, and focus on their strategies and priorities for addressing Responsible Investment.
Many funds scored very poorly in the 2006 survey. Several household names (including the pension schemes for HSBC, the Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds, NatWest, and BAE systems) were found to be remarkably secretive about investments and practices. FairPensions have been in continuous talks with the majority of funds surveyed, in an attempt to improve their performance.
"Since last year's survey several of the funds have indicated that they are very keen to work with us to improve their transparency," noted Duncan Exley, Campaigns manager "A lack of transparency is one of the primary obstacles to responsible investment, and improvement in transparency among some of the largest pension funds in the country is a big step in the right direction."
Taking Responsible Investment onto the world stage
This year has seen some astonishing successes for FairPensions. Two years ago we were a tiny organisation which faced an uphill struggle to even meet with representatives from large UK pension funds. Now FairPensions' opinion is being sought at international conferences, and we have influenced investors worth £820 billion. FairPensions' Executive Director, Alex van der Velden, has already spoken at the Ethical Corporation Sustainable Finance Summit in London and the European Investment Round Table in Salzburg.
Read more
FairPensions becomes a charity
We are extremely pleased to announce that in January this year FairPensions was finally awarded charity status. This is a fantastic achievement for FairPensions, which is now the first charity of its kind. This recognises - for the first time - the benefits that shareholder activism can have on human rights, development and environmental sustainability.
Becoming a charity also means that FairPensions can now claim Gift Aid on all our donations - which will help us to substantially increase our funds. If you are, or have been, a donor, and have not filled out a Gift Aid declaration, please fill out the form enclosed. This will allow us to reclaim tax on any past donations.