Stewardship and ESG

Stewardship covers all our activities which look to promote the long-term success of the investments we make on behalf of our clients.

Our approach   |   Reporting   |   Voting   |   Responsible investing ‘stamps’

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Our approach

As stewards of our clients’ capital, we act in their interests to invest in companies which can create, preserve and enhance value. This involves the assessment of a broad range of factors which do, or could, have an impact on value, including those related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) drivers.

We encourage freedom of thought among fund managers, allowing each franchise to have an individual style and investment approach. This means that each team selects, manages and incorporates relevant ESG factors in a way best suited to its specific investment approach.

Engagement

As an active investment manager, we value the opportunity to develop relationships with the management, boards and representatives of the companies in which we invest. Engagement can include face-to-face meetings, telephone calls, emails and letters on a wide range of topics including strategy, operational performance, governance issues and industry-specific considerations. Engagement is a core element of our approach and one of the means by which we develop our understanding of companies, raise issues with management and monitor subsequent developments.

Screening

We support the international conventions on cluster munitions and anti-personnel mines and therefore will not knowingly invest in companies involved in their production. We also offer screened portfolios where exclusions are requested by our clients.

Collective collaboration

We actively participate in industry-wide initiatives and collaborative engagement, recognising that to instigate change a collective approach can often make success more likely. Our memberships, associations and public industry responses include:

  • UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (we have been a signatory since 2015); read our latest public report (PDF)
  • Investor Forum
  • SASB Alliance: SASB has recently merged with the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) to form the Value Reporting Foundation. We are supportive of the Value Reporting Foundation’s mission to help businesses around the world identify, manage and report on financially-material ESG issues.
  • Climate Action 100+: an investor initiative launched to ensure the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters take necessary action on climate change

Meet the team

Inez Oliver

Inez Oliver

Inez joined Artemis in 2005 and is Co-head of Stewardship. She has a degree in information systems and management from the University of London; a masters in sustainability from the University of Cambridge; and an MBA from Imperial College London. Inez has more than 25 years’ experience in investment management and holds the advanced certificate in corporate governance from the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators.

Antonia Stirling

Antonia Stirling

Antonia joined Artemis in 2019 as Co-head of Stewardship. She came from Standard Life Aberdeen, where from 2010 she was Head of Corporate Stewardship. Before that, Antonia spent five years at Deloitte and became ACA qualified. She holds an MA in Human Sciences from the University of Oxford. Antonia also holds the Certificate in ESG Investing from CFA UK.

Further information

For further information, please contact [email protected]

Reporting

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) updated the UK Stewardship Code effective January 2020.

Voting

We vote on all of our holdings, unless restricted from doing so. Voting decisions are made by our fund managers, informed by their knowledge of the company concerned, any engagement activity, Artemis’ voting policy and input from external research providers, notably Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS).

Responsible investing ‘stamps’

Responsible investing is the overarching term we use for how our fund managers approach ESG, sustainable and impact investing.

Our responsible investing stamps provide a quick reference to the four categories against which we assess our funds’ approach.