The National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) has published a guide to help pension trustees assess the stewardship abilities of their prospective investment managers.
The one-page document is named “Quizzing Fund Managers”. It is being launched on Ownership Day, an initiative by the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF) to raise awareness of the benefits of active ownership in investment management.
The document highlights questions trustees should consider when selecting and subsequently reviewing their investment managers, including:
What codes of conduct or principles have you signed up to?
How are non-financial risks incorporated into investment decisions?
Are you able to demonstrate the effectiveness of your stewardship activities?
Will Pomroy, Corporate Governance Adviser, NAPF, said:
“Pension funds are embracing their ownership responsibilities and are fostering a market for stewardship. Initiatives such as Ownership Day are very important in maintaining the momentum and promoting best practice.
“Trustees have a lot on their minds and need support. We have published this crib-sheet to help them consider stewardship factors when appointing their investment managers.
“We are confident that our continued efforts will assist pension funds to influence behavioural changes that lead to better stewardship by asset managers and companies.”
“Quizzing Fund Managers” complements the regular provision of topical questions that the NAPF is giving pension funds every month via its PensionsConnection website to utilise within manager reviews.
The document is drawn from the NAPF’s Stewardship Policy, which was published last year to help pension fund trustees fulfil their stewardship (ownership) responsibilities. The policy set out three simple actions that can be expected of pension funds as the owners and providers of capital. These included the incorporation of stewardship criteria into manager selection and the monitoring of their activities to gain a greater understanding of their stewardship approach and ensuring they are aligned to and adhering to the pension funds’ policy.
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