We engage in dialogue and use our voting rights
We act as an engaged shareholder by exercising influence on the companies in which we invest. We do this to protect the interests of the Fund and also to contribute to a better future for current and forthcoming generations. We use our voting rights at shareholder meetings. We also engage in dialogue with companies as a shareholder. This type of influence is known as shareholder engagement.
Using our vote
Voting at shareholder meetings is a direct way of protecting the interests of the Fund and exercising influence on a company’s management. We see the exercise of voting rights by proxy as an important active element of responsible investing. Our voting at shareholder meetings is delegated to Northern Trust, our asset manager for the equities portfolio. You can read how the votes were cast in the voting reports.
Engaging in dialogue
We believe it is important that the companies in which we invest conform to certain standards such as the Global Compact Principles, the UN Guiding Principles and the OECD Guidelines. By engaging in dialogue with the companies in which we invest as a shareholder, we can exercise influence on these companies. This is known as engagement. These dialogues are also delegated to Northern Trust. You can read about these dialogues in the engagement reports.
Follow our engagement activities
This year, we are looking at how to proceed with responsible investing. We want to know how we can contribute as effectively as possible to a responsible future, within the investment options that we have. This means that we will assess our existing investments, but also the criteria we consider to be important for the selection of new investments. We will share our decisions on this page, and this year we intend to establish a new policy with respect to responsible investing.