Voting

ECO Advisors believes that ESG driven corporate engagement and voting in areas of environmental, social and governance risks can increase the ability of firms to create long term shareholder value. Where we own equity positions in the long portfolio, ECO’s voting activities are conducted in-house and we conduct our own reviews and analyses using multiple sources of information, including ESG data and company reports. All voting decisions are communicated to and are made in conjunction with chief staff, so as to inform and be informed by the investment decision making process. ECO expects to vote in line with management, except in cases where there are grounds for concern about the ESG-related effect or standard of an outcome. ECO may vote against a management resolution to express dissatisfaction if we believe that the resolution falls short of ESG best practice, especially when looked at on a peer relative basis.  

We support shareholder and board initiatives to work towards Paris Agreement alignment, TCFD disclosure, low carbon initiatives, greenhouse gas emissions transparency and other environmental reporting. In companies with a market cap of USD $50 billion, we expect to see Paris Agreement alignment, or measurable steps being taken towards alignment. If not, we will communicate our expectations to the company. We encourage transparency and data around environmental, social and governance factors. We often support shareholder proposals for written consent and to call special meetings. ECO Advisors has specific guidelines for voting on gender diversity in boards and executive pay available for viewing in the investor portal.

In all cases where ECO Advisors has voted against management for one or more proposals ECO Advisors will send an email to the company’s investor relations team communicating the voting rationale.  ECO Advisors may deem it necessary to act collectively with other investors on an engagement matter in order to best influence an investee companies’ management. 

ECO Advisors has voted at 100% of the meetings where we were eligible to vote (as of September 2021). As of July 2021 we have voted in favour of 91% of shareholder proposals related to ESG, and abstained or voted against 14% of executive pay proposals due to concerns around pay levels, structures, or insufficient ties to sustainability. We have communicated with every company where we abstained or voted against management, including 1-1 meetings. Since inception, either directly or collaboratively, we have engaged with over 600 companies held in our portfolio (long and short).

ECO Advisors is not an activist fund, and thus we do not regularly escalate stewardship activities beyond voting and participating in collective engagement initiatives, which usually consist of signing and delivering statements to particular sectors or companies encouraging the adoption of ESG best practices. We may support our collective initiatives’ escalation strategies if deemed fit in cases of non-compliance.

In regards to voting, as voting is specific to companies in our long book, and therefore ESG leaders, we do not expect regular escalation to be necessary, although ECO will engage directly with a company through a written communication in cases of votes against management. In rare cases where we see companies failing to respond to the above forms of engagement or in cases deemed necessary as per ECO’s discretion ECO Advisors will escalate stewardship by contacting the company’s board and senior management.

Disclaimer

ECO Advisors – Website Disclaimer

The contents of this document are communicated by, and the property of ECO Advisors.

Ethical Capital Opportunity Advisors Ltd (“ECO Advisors”) is authorised and regulated by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”).

Products and Services

The information contained herein is current at the date of publication, but is subject to change without notice. ECO Advisors has expressed its own views and opinions on this website, and these may change without notice. This website is not directed at you if ECO Advisors is prohibited by any law of any jurisdiction from making the information on this site available to you and is not intended for any use that would be contrary to local law or regulation. None of the information contained on this website is intended to constitute any offer to sell or an invitation or solicitation of an offer to buy any product or service by ECO Advisors and must not be relied upon in connection with any investment decision. Products or services mentioned on this site are subject to legal and regulatory requirements in applicable jurisdictions and may not be available in all jurisdictions. Accordingly persons are required to inform themselves of and observe any such restrictions. Nothing in this website should be construed as investment, tax, legal or other advice.  The information on this website is intended only for the use of eligible clients, and is not intended for retail investors.

Risk Warning

Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance. The value of investments and the income of any financial instruments mentioned in the website may fall as well as rise, and investors may get back less than the amount originally invested. Fluctuations in exchange rates may have a positive or an adverse effect on the value of foreign-currency denominated securities and financial instruments. Certain investments involve an above-average degree of risk and should be seen as long-term in nature. The investment products and services described in the website may have tax consequences. Any tax reliefs referred to are those currently available and their value depends on the circumstances of the individual investor. You acknowledge that levels and bases of taxation may change, and that ECO Advisors does not provides tax advice. You should consult your own tax advisor in order to understand the tax consequences of the products and services described in the website.

Disclaimer

I certify that I am not a US person. ECO Advisors is not registered as an investment advisor with the SEC and therefore the information contained in this website is neither directed at nor intended for US investors.  I also certify that I am not a UK retail investor. The information on this website is neither directed at nor intended for UK retail investors.