ACSI and Hermes EOS to share company engagement expertise

The Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI) will work with Hermes EOS to share engagement insights about Australian and global companies with their members and clients.

ACSI CEO Louise Davidson said, “This landmark agreement will see two of the world’s foremost experts on environmental, social and governance advocacy and company engagements work together to assist investors to be long-term responsible stewards of their investments.”

ACSI is the leading authority on ESG management and active ownership in Australia. Our members include 39 local and international asset owners who collectively own on average 10 per cent of every ASX200 company.

Hermes EOS, the stewardship and engagement team at Hermes Investment Management, provides one of the world’s largest stewardship services, with $704.46 billion1 in assets under advice for clients across the world, (many of whom have holdings in Australian listed companies).

Davidson said, “ACSI members are increasingly active in international markets and need access to global as well as local engagement services. Working with Hermes EOS enables us to provide our members with access to high quality global stewardship expertise.”

Head of Hermes EOS, Dr Hans-Christoph Hirt, commented, “Working with ACSI will result in a greater flow of information and level of insight for both organisations and our stakeholders and ultimately more impactful engagement with companies around the world. We look forward to sharing our expertise and enhancing our engagement plan by utilising ACSI’s deep understanding of the most material topics in the Australian market.”

Hermes EOS currently provides international engagement services to some ACSI members, with others able to opt into using their services. By working together, ACSI and Hermes EOS have created a significant repository of company engagement expertise.

In 2018, ACSI conducted 249 engagement meetings with ASX300 companies and provided voting advice on 1712 resolutions across this index. In 2018, Hermes EOS engaged with 746 companies on 2,084 ESG, strategy, risk and communication issues and objectives.