Worldwide Leaders Sustainability

During the quarter there were 332 resolutions from 26 companies to vote on. On behalf of clients, we voted against 23 resolutions.

We voted against the appointment of the auditor at Arista Networks, bioMérieux, Edwards Lifesciences, EPAM Systems, Expeditors, Fastenal, Fortinet, Graco, Lincoln Electric, Markel, Old Dominion Freight Line, Roper Technologies and Texas Instruments as they have been in place for over 10 years and the companies’ have given no information on intended rotation. We believe rotating an auditor on a relatively frequent basis (e.g. every 5-10 years) helps to ensure a fresh pair of eyes are examining the accounts, and follows best practice. (13 resolutions)

We voted against the proposed employee stock ownership plan at Midea as we believe non-executive director involvement could lead to conflict of interest and would not be in shareholders' interest. (three resolutions)

We voted against recasting and cumulative voting at WEG as this would allow the board to make changes without shareholder assessment or knowledge of candidates. (three resolutions)

We abstained from voting on requests for a separate board election and the election of a Supervisory Council position at WEG due to insufficient information and our preference for the current family stewards to remain in place. (two resolutions)

We voted against a shareholder proposal regarding board declassification at EPAM Systems as we do not deem it necessary for all directors to stand for election annually and believe this could destabilise the board by allowing excessive turnover. (one resolution)

We voted for a shareholder proposal encouraging alignment with the Paris Agreement with regards to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets and also voted against a shareholder proposal requesting a Diversity & Inclusion Report at Expeditors as we believe this issue requires a wider discussion and cannot be resolved through disclosure alone. (two resolutions)

We voted against a shareholder proposal regarding simple majority voting at Fastenal as this was covered by the company's own proposals. (one resolution)

We voted against a shareholder proposal regarding GHG emissions disclosure at Markel as the proposal called for disclosure of emissions from underwriting, insuring and investments, which is not yet widely or reliably reported in the industry, hence we would prefer to discuss the issue with the company. (one resolution)

We abstained from voting on a shareholder proposal regarding the adoption of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets aligned with the Paris Agreement at Old Dominion Freight Line as we have previously engaged with the company on this issue and prefer to continue dialogue to better understand their plans. (one resolution)

We abstained from voting on a shareholder proposal to remove supermajority requirements for certain issues at Roper Technologies as the board didn't provide a recommendation. (one resolution)

We voted for shareholder proposals regarding the right to call a special meeting and requesting a report on customer due diligence at Texas Instruments as we found both to be sensible. (two resolutions)

During the quarter there were 96 resolutions from 9 companies to vote on. On behalf of clients, we voted against 3 resolutions.

We voted against a shareholder proposal for Costco to conduct a feasibility study of reaching net zero by 2050, as we believe the company is making progress with tangible near-term climate targets in place. Long-term projections with regards to the net zero transition are difficult and can be fraught with errors, hence we currently find the company's approach reasonable and sensible. (one resolution)

We voted against an adjustment of the Guarantee for Controlled Subsidiaries Assets Pool Business at Midea as we found the guarantee amount to be excessive and not in shareholders' best interests. (one resolution)

We voted against a Board appointment at Samsung Electronics as we would prefer to see more independent, non-family associated Directors. (one resolution)

During the quarter there were 52 resolutions from six companies to vote on. On behalf of clients, we voted against one resolution.

We voted against the appointment of the auditor at Copart as they have been in place for over 10 years and the company has given no information on intended rotation. We believe rotating an auditor on a relatively frequent basis (e.g. every 5-10 years) helps to ensure a fresh pair of eyes are examining the accounts, and follows best practice. (one resolution)

During the quarter there were 51 resolutions from four companies to vote on. On behalf of clients, we did not vote against any resolutions.