Stewardship and ESG
What makes a good steward?
Good stewards are more than good managers. They are more than good leaders. They are custodians who understand and carry out their responsibilities with integrity and respect for the people who rely on them and on whom they rely, and for the society and environment around them.
Good stewardship is about looking after our clients’ savings as much as we’d look after our own – with good judgement and extreme care and consideration. It’s also about understanding our rights and responsibilities in respect of the companies we have a share in.
In the companies we invest in, good stewardship relates to owners and managers with both the competence and desire to make good long-term decisions on behalf of the businesses they run.
In our view, management transparency, a diversity of views – such as a range of social, cognitive and ethnic backgrounds and good gender representation – a willingness to learn from mistakes, and a keen consideration for customers, their workforce, suppliers, the wider community and the environment are all good omens with regard to the question of stewardship.
