Get the right experience for you. Please select your location and investor type.
Stewart Investors launches Worldwide Leaders Sustainability Strategy in New Zealand
18th July 2022 - The Stewart Investors Worldwide Leaders Sustainability Strategy (WWLS) will be available in New Zealand.
The strategy will be available via the Stewart Investors Worldwide Leaders Sustainability Fund (Fund), a managed investment scheme with Implemented Investment Solutions acting as the Manager and Public Trust as the Trustee.
The strategy holds shares of large and mid-sized companies around the world, in both developed and emerging markets, that have a market cap of at least US$5 billion. It seeks to achieve long-term capital growth for investors through a diversified portfolio of equity or equity-related securities which are listed, traded, or dealt in, on any of the regulated markets globally.
The portfolio team selects companies that are positioned to contribute to, and benefit from, sustainable development. As a result, the strategy has an 85 per cent* lower carbon intensity than the MSCI All Country World Index (ACWI) benchmark.
The Fund will aim to exceed the MSCI ACWI over rolling five-year periods (before fees and taxes) but portfolio construction is not limited or constrained by the benchmark. The Fund will be able to hold between 40 and 60 investments at any one time.
Managed by Sashi Reddy and David Gait, who are based in Singapore and Sydney respectively, the Fund offers New Zealand investors access to Stewart Investors’ proven global equities and sustainability capabilities.
Stewart Investors launched its first sustainability strategy in 2005 and has since demonstrated that sustainable investing can be a powerful driver of risk adjusted returns over the long term. The team is supported by the heritage of Stewart Investors, dating back to 1988.
The Fund will aim to achieve positive social and environmental outcomes by investing in, and proactively engaging with, companies which support positive contributions to the likes of health and wellbeing, financial inclusion, reducing waste, water and energy efficiency, and renewable energy, while avoiding companies that participate in harmful and controversial practices.
The Fund is certified by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia.
David Gait, head of the Stewart Investors investment team and a portfolio manager at Stewart Investors, said: “Investors are increasingly wanting to see their own values reflected in their portfolios, and there is very high demand for sustainable investments in New Zealand. Given this, we’re really pleased to be introducing WWLS to like-minded investors in the region.”
Sashi Reddy, portfolio manager at Stewart Investors, said: “Stewart Investors has a strong track record of sustainable investing, as we launched our first sustainability strategy in 2005 and consistently hold high quality companies in our portfolios for many years – in some cases, for more than 25 years.
“We are passionate believers that long term capital can play a productive role in the sustainable development of economies, by allocating capital to productive uses and invest in firms which contribute to a more sustainable future. We do this through our bottom-up assessment approach, which works towards ensuring that all of our investments are best placed to deliver solid absolute returns over the long term.”
Stewart Investors has its own microsite dedicated to their Sustainability Strategies. This includes its new interactive tool Portfolio Explorer which allows easy access to details on the companies held in their strategies and how they are contributing to sustainable development. Users can filter the map by Sustainable Development Goals or individual company names. For each company the team holds, the investment rationale, sustainability positioning, risks and areas for engagement are provided.
Important Information
This press release is intended for information only, aimed solely at the media and should not be further distributed to individual and/or corporate investors, and financial advisers and/or distributors. The information included within this document and any supplemental documentation provided should not be copied, reproduced or redistributed without the prior written consent of First Sentier Investors.
This document has been prepared for general informational purposes. It does not purport to be comprehensive or to give advice. This is not an offer document and does not constitute an offer or invitation or investment recommendation to distribute or purchase securities, shares, units or other interests or to enter into an investment agreement.
The information contained within this document has been obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable and accurate at the time of issue but no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made as to the fairness, accuracy, or completeness of the information.
