Nikko Asset Management has announced it has formed a Corporate Sustainability Department which will collaborate with investment teams to ensure sustainability considerations are embedded in the investment process.
The company said that initial internal environmental, social and governance commitments had been made to nurturing diversity, inclusion for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and trans individuals (LGBT), women and those living with disability. The company added that it would be monitoring adherence to local corporate governance codes and ensuring there is scrutiny of actions that impact the environment.
This new unit will be supervised by representative director and executive deputy president Junichi Sayato and led day-to-day, from Tokyo, by global head of product & marketing, and head of corporate sustainability Stefanie Drews.
In a statement, Sayato explained that the company held itself to the “highest standards of responsibility” on ESG in the way it approaches investment and engages with invested companies.
“Our clients are at the core of everything that we do, and this launch is further evidence of our efforts to deliver performance to them,” he said.
The Japanese asset manager is already a member of LGBT Finance and a signatory to the UN PRI and Women’s Empowerment Principles initiatives.
To promote the work it is doing on sustainable investing, Nikko has launched a microsite to document its activities in ESG and to affirm its commitments in the area. The site has further details on the reason for adopting the ESG policy. The company explains that it believes addressing challenges to sustainability is directly linked to its ability to succeed.
