Fortuna Asset Management Communications – a public relations agency specialising in advice to boutique asset managers – has become a signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI).
The move by Fortuna AMC is in recognition of the increasing importance of Economic, Social and Governance issues within the asset management industry and the need to advise on them from a communications perspective.
The PRI is the world’s largest independent proponent of Responsible Investment. It is a non-profit body which engages with global policymakers but is not associated with any government. It is supported by, but is not part of, the United Nations.
Signatories pledge to adhere to six key Principles concerning Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues, and undertake to deliver ‘continuous improvement’ of those standards. The Principles were launched in April 2006 at the New York Stock Exchange. There are now more than 1,800 signatories, representing just under USD70 trillion in assets under management (Source: PRI, 2017).
The PRI’s Mission is to encourage investors to work towards an economically efficient, sustainable global financial system which offers long-term value creation to the benefit of the environment and society as a whole.
Fortuna AMC managing director John Morgan says: “We fully support the PRI’s Mission. As investors become increasingly aware of their legal and stakeholder responsibilities, the global asset management industry is responding to this new paradigm. These concerns will shape the business models of the future.”
“As communications professionals we must ensure our clients are well served when developing their business narratives in this important area. It is particularly important for smaller asset managers, who have the advantage of being nimble and innovative, to factor in ESG matters as they grow.”
Fortuna AMC is being advised by former financial Editor and ESG specialist Caroline Allen. She says: “Investors are looking for more information about ESG issues, driven not only by ethical concerns, but also by client demand for more appropriate holistic risk management techniques.”
“Challenges like climate change, environmental protection, waste management, gender parity and transparency are increasingly important to institutional investors looking for greater accountability from their asset managers. Fiduciaries and wealth advisors know that Generation Y and Millennials, who are benefitting from the largest transfer of wealth and assets in history, rate higher ESG standards among their key criteria when selecting managers.”
