Partners

ABP

Dutch Pension Fund for Civil Servants
ABP is the pension fund for employers and employees in service of the Dutch government and the educational sector. With an invested capital of 217 billion euros (end of 2007), ABP is the third largest pension fund in the world. Based on solidarity and non-profit motives, ABPs objective is to be in a position to guarantee for its 2.4 million participants an adequate pension at all times at the lowest possible premiums. The management organisation of ABP aims to meet these objectives through achievement of the highest possible return on invested capital, while taking well-considered risks. It is ABP’s management organisation’s task to invest the pension resources in a prudent way. ABP’s active attitude in the area of sustainable investment was rewarded in 2003 with the IPE Award for the best European pension fund in terms of socially responsible investment. ABP’s management organisation has branches in Heerlen (headquarters in the southern part of the Netherlands), Amsterdam, New York and Hong Kong.

www.abp.nl/

Mistra

The Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research (Mistra) supports research with a long-term perspective, with the objective to solve major environmental concerns. Mistra funds and organizes research aimed at solving strategic environmental problems. A Mistra programme is considered a success when scientifically advanced research has been put to practical use in companies, authorities or other organizations. The potential for achieving industrial applications shall be realized as far as possible. Mistra forms part of Sweden´s system of innovation for an environmentally sound society and globally sustainable development. The foundation sponsors the project: “Sustainable development: The new role for institutional investors”, which is performed by a consortium that includes ECCE, Umea University (Sweden), GES Investment Services, Innovest Strategic Value Advisors, and The Swedish Institute for Financial Research (SIFR).

www.mistra.org

Maastricht University

The Maastricht University (UM), located in the Netherlands, is a rapidly growing university, with more than 11000 students and 3000 employees. The UM is known for its unique education system (Problem-based learning) and its strong international orientation. The UM profile appeals to both students from all parts of the Netherlands and a substantial number of students from abroad. The School of Business and Economics (SBE) is a top-rated faculty in Europe, both in terms of research and education. SBE has created a number of built-in incentives for top research achievements, resulting in publications in highly ranked international journals. UM scholars are known for delivering high-quality scientific research revolving around socially relevant themes.

www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/sbe

ISS

With more than 20 years of experience, Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) is a leading international provider of proxy voting and corporate governance solutions to the institutional marketplace. ISS serves 1,684 clients around the world with its core business — analyzing proxies and issuing informed impartial research and objective vote recommendations for more than 35,000 companies. ISS seeks to provide governance solutions that enhance the interaction between shareholders and companies, with the purpose of helping shareholders manage risk and drive value.

www.issproxy.com

GMI

Governance Metrics International (GMI) was formed in April 2000 by people who recognized the need for a newway to monitor corporate governance. GMI’s ratings system has been developed following extensive research in multiple markets and consultations with institutional investors, corporate officers and directors and governance specialists. GMI provides assessment of 3,800 companies, including complete coverage of the MSCI World and MSCI EAFE Index.

www.gmiratings.com

SAM Group

SAM is an investment boutique focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing. The firm’s offering comprises asset management, indexes and private equity. Its asset management capabilities include a range of single-theme, multi-theme and core sustainability investment strategies catering to institutional asset owners and financial intermediaries in Europe, the United States, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. Through its index activities, SAM has partnered with Dow Jones Indexes and STOXX Limited for the publication and licensing of the globally recognized Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) as well as customized sustainability benchmarks. Furthermore, SAM is the center of expertise for clean tech private equity within Robeco.
Based on its Corporate Sustainability Assessment, SAM has compiled one of the world's largest sustainability databases and analyzes over 1,000 listed companies annually. SAM’s proprietary research and sustainability data are fully integrated into its offering.
SAM is a member of Robeco, which was established in 1929 and offers a broad range of investment products and services worldwide. Robeco is a subsidiary of the AAA-rated Rabobank Group.
SAM was founded in 1995, is headquartered in Zurich and employs over 100 professionals. As of June 30, 2009, SAM’s total assets amount to USD 12.4 billion.

www.sam-group.com

Umea School of Business and Economics

Umeå School of Business (USBE) is a modern business school within Umeå University – Sweden’s fifth largest university in student numbers. The history of academic education in business and economics at Umeå dates back 40 years. USBE was established with the purpose of strengthening education and research in business disciplines, while contributing to the community. USBE is EQUIS accredited. USBE is also the coordinator of the Mistra-funded research program on Sustainable Investment in partnership with ECCE.