Great Canadian ESG Championship Announces Winners of $104.5 Million Investment Pool, Releases State of the Industry Report, The Canadian Business Journal

MONTREAL, Nov. 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, the investors behind The Great Canadian ESG Championship announced the winner of a $104.5 million investment mandate. Following the eight-month Dragon Den-style competition, a State of the Industry report will also be released. In this report, he takes a deep dive into key ESG investing trends and best practices observed across initiatives.

“The competition emphasized that the responsible investment landscape in Canada is very mature, as we were able to choose from many excellent proposals. The lack of it makes it difficult for investors to navigate.” Eric St-Pierre He is Executive Director of the Trottier Family Foundation and organizer of The Great Canadian ESG Championship.

The Great Canadian ESG Championship, launched in March, is driven by nine Canadian institutional investors to meet growing asset owners seeking responsible investment opportunities in a market where ESG standards and labeling are not clear it was done. The aim of the championship is to shine a light on asset managers who are good at investing responsibly so they can inspire others, and to encourage asset owners to accelerate their ESG investments. was to provide a starting point.

“We hoped the Great Canadian ESG Championship would shed light on best practices for increasing competitiveness among asset managers and identifying gaps where the industry can improve.” Saint-Pierre.

Eleven finalists out of 60 submissions were shortlisted and presented at the live event in front of a panel of judges including Andrea Moffat, vice president of the Ivey Foundation, Barb Zvan, CEO of the University Pension Plan, and Daniel Simard. Invited. , Æquo Management Advisor to Shareholder Engagement Services inc., where Rally Assets received an Audience Choice Award.

The criteria are based on both ESG and financial performance and were assessed by expert reviewers from Millani Inc., led by Founder and CEO Milla Craig, and Normandin Beaudry, led by partner Jean Grégoire Morand. The final decision rested with each of the co-investors. Decide where to invest your money based on your responsible investment goals and internal processes. The nine co-investors include the Trottier Family Foundation, Concordia University Foundation, Skagit Environmental Fund Commission, Greater Montreal Foundation, Sitka Foundation, Consecon Foundation, McConnell Foundation, and her two private trusts.

Awarded managers, large and small, were awarded based on fund performance meeting both high financial and high ESG standards. Their ranking was also based on whether the fund’s strategy met her individual investment priorities and co-investors’ ESG goals. The winning companies allotted a portion of a total investment pool of $104.5 million, including Alphafixe, Rally Assets, Jarislowsky Fraser, Schroders, UBS, Manulife and Phillips Hager & North.

The $104.5 million investment mandates from nine institutional investors were divided into seven winners based on their priorities and goals in the ESG investment environment.

The completion of the Great Canadian ESG Championship comes at a pivotal time in the face of increased greenwashing scrutiny of ESG investments and tightening global regulation of ESG financial products. While the appetite for responsible investment options in Canada has never been higher, neither is he skeptical about what constitutes ESG for his trust.

Findings and key learnings from competitors in the rapidly evolving global ESG landscape are captured in a state of the art industry report authored by Millani. The report highlights the need for clarity in communication from asset managers and comprehensive standards from regulators in order for the market to remain on a solid footing and remain competitive.

“Through competition, it has become clear that some players are integrating ESG throughout their corporate practices, while other examples highlight what funds are designed to achieve and how they There was a disconnect between what was marketed as Mira CraigFounder and CEO of Millani, competitive expert, ESG reviewer and author of The State of the Industry report. “Each of the winning companies had his own ESG strategy, but what they had in common was the ability to articulate their strategy clearly and articulately.”

Along with key investor input, the report provides clear recommendations on how to build more trust and transparency in the market. “There is no right or wrong approach to ESG strategy, but there needs to be more specific communication of the company’s ESG criteria and goals, and how that translates into investment decisions,” he said. I’m here. Andrea Moffat Vice President of the Ivey Foundation, has participated in juries and provided commentary for the State of the Industry Report.

“ESG is nuanced. No blanket statement can be made. To help investment firms get there, governments, regulators, investors and, most importantly, standardized labels We need stronger engagement and cooperation between taxonomies and taxonomies.” Craig.

Millani and co-investors of The Great Canadian ESG Championship will host a free webinar. November 14, 12pm-1pm EST Review key findings and findings outlined in the report.To register, please visit www.esgchampionship.ca.

To read the full State of the Industry report, please visit: https://esgchampionship.ca/wp-content/uploads/_documents/winners/ESG_state_of_the_industry_report_En.pdf

Media inquiries and interviews:
English:
Kaelan Kreller
Argyle PR
647-853-0894
[email protected]

French:
Marie Eve Saint Onju
Copticom
514-601-5504
[email protected]

About the Great Canadian ESG Championship
Inspired by the UK’s ‘ESG Investing Olympiad’, nine Canadian co-investors (Trottier Family Foundation, Concordia University Foundation, Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission, Greater Montreal Foundation, Sitka Foundation, Consecon Foundation, McConnell Foundation and two private proposed $104.5 million to invest in asset managers exhibiting the strongest ESG investment approaches within three asset classes: trusts), equities and/or fixed income, alternatives, and multi-asset.

Website: www.esgchampionship.ca
Hashtag: #ESGChampionship

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b8ab9ae7-bdc6-4366-a580-5de5e14f70ab.

CBJ Newsmaker