Companies need to have sustainable practices across environmental, social and governance factors (ESG) to maintain their social licence to operate, which ensures their long-term profitability.
The importance of sustainability is clear. But assessing ESG factors is complex and rarely black or white. It can’t be done without considering a range of stakeholder needs and it requires substantial judgement. As such, we strongly believe independent research is important as every company’s place in society is more than the sum of its reported statistics. Like all other aspects of investing, unfortunately, best efforts and a well-guided moral compass, do not yield perfect results and we continue to learn from, and adapt to, changing societal expectations.
ESG assessments are integrated in our investment process from the genesis of the investment idea until we sell our last share. We take our voting rights seriously and vote on all our shares when entitled to. Find out more here.
We are active stakeholders of our investee companies and regularly engage with management and the boards of these companies. We agitate for change where we believe it is necessary. We treat problems as our problems, not just to be passed on to a new set of shareholders. We recognise, however, that engagement can also have its limitations and, although rare, sometimes walking away is the most responsible thing to do.
As investors, we have always insisted on thinking for ourselves, taking a long-term perspective and acting in accordance with our values. Our approach to responsible investing is no different. We aspire to deliver on behalf of clients who share our belief that investing responsibly is an integral part of investing well.
Allan Gray Australia is a signatory of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), an independent body, supported by the United Nations, which is the world’s leading proponent of responsible investment. To read about our approach, download a copy of our Statement on Responsible Investing , our Public Transparency report and our Public Assessment report. Information regarding the PRI assessment methodology is available at www.unpri.org. Our Stewardship report and Modern Slavery Statement are also available for download.
Allan & Gill Gray Foundation was established in 2015, endowed with the controlling interests in the Allan Gray and Orbis groups of asset managers. The Foundation devotes the fruits of those interests exclusively to philanthropy.
“I firmly believe that philanthropy is a natural extension of what Orbis and Allan Gray already do each and every day. Just as these firms strive to promote their clients’ financial security and peace of mind, so too will Allan & Gill Gray Foundation strive to make a positive contribution to the common good. It is this holistic view of business entrepreneurship and the symbiotic relationship amongst all stakeholders—clients, employees, owners, and society—that the Foundation seeks to preserve.”
Allan Gray
For more information on the Foundation, please click here.
