We are a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI) and, under our previous brand Smith & Williamson, the UK Stewardship Code. This means we are responsible investors, who seek to invest our client portfolios in businesses that operate in a responsible manner.

Our approach to responsible stewardship involves:

• Incorporating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues, as well as financial issues when building a portfolio
• Using active ownership, including voting, to encourage firms to improve their ESG reporting and strategic thinking. This ensures all relevant factors are properly considered when assessing risk and reward.

However, we don’t impose our own values on our clients. Clients are free to tilt their portfolios towards their own needs, based on their specific values and objectives.

We use a range of methods when putting our approach to investment stewardship into action from taking an active part in company votes to engaging with boards or committing to Corporate Social Responsibility. When investing in third-party funds, we choose those with the same commitment and approach to stewardship as Evelyn Partners.

Voting

We routinely vote on all material shareholdings. We work with proxy voting adviser Glass Lewis to inform our decision-making, which we adapt to suit our own policies and requirements. Our voting policy and record are available at the bottom of this page.

Company engagement

We aim to engage with companies in the following ways:

• Clear communication. With any shareholder resolution where we do not vote with the Board’s recommendation, we write to the Chair to explain our rationale
• Regular meetings. With over 500 meetings with companies and funds every year, we can follow up on areas of potential concern
• Stewardship codes. We are signatories to the UN PRI and, the UK Stewardship Code
• Climate collaboration. We are members of the Climate Action 100+ investor group. This is a collaborative engagement initiative to ensure the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters act on climate change
• Industry cooperation. We are a member of the Investor Forum, an independent, not-for-profit organisation comprising leading asset managers and owners of the UK equity market. Its purpose is to position stewardship at the heart of investment decision-making
• Tackling modern slavery. We are a member of the Find it, Fix it, Prevent it engagement group set up to identify and stamp out modern slavery in UK companies and their supply chains. This has a particular focus on the hospitality and building sectors, where modern slavery is most prevalent

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Our culture has always reflected our core values of putting our clients first and delivering the right solutions. But our ongoing mission is to keep corporate responsibility at the heart of our growing business. We aim to manage the impact of our business on our clients, staff, suppliers, communities and the environment.

To achieve this, we look for ways where we can make a positive influence in the communities where we work. We also seek to minimise our environmental footprint and provide a professional and supportive workplace for our colleagues, all of which helps us to deliver the best possible service to our clients.

Evelyn Partners annual Stewardship & Responsible Investment Report

To download a copy of our 2022 annual Stewardship & Responsible Investment report please click here.

Stewardship Code 2021 Report

Evelyn Partners are signatories to the UK Stewardship Code.

Read the latest Stewardship Code report

Responsible Investment Policy

Evelyn Partners is committed to generating superior risk-adjusted returns for clients by investing in companies that will create long-term value for all stakeholders.

See our Responsible Investment Policy

Evelyn Partners Voting Policy

As part of our commitment to responsible investing, we began proxy voting in November 2018 (using Glass Lewis as our proxy provider).

View our voting policy

Evelyn Partners SRD II Engagement Policy

The revised Shareholder Rights Directive (SRD II) took effect in the UK on 10 June 2019. Firms that provide investment management services to certain types of institutional investors are required to publish a shareholder engagement policy.

See our policy

Proxy Voting Summary Report

We report on our Proxy Voting activities on a quarterly basis as well as annually.

View a copy

United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI)

Evelyn Partners is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investing. See a full copy of the 2021 Transparency report for our former brand Smith & Williamson.

Download now

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