We believe in looking at empirical research. And we've seen that is a growing point of our empirical evidence, which shows that divestis perform better than non divestms. Since 20 17, we've engaged over 800 companies in the rass three thousand to get them to improve diversity on their boards. 75 % of these companies, roughly 600, have added at least one divers director to their board following ou engagement. So it is a significant number. A, and we've also voted against over a thousand directors a during this period when our diversed engagements did not lead to constructive outcomes.
In 2022, the ESG Insider podcast is bringing you a series of interviews with some of the world’s largest asset managers, owners and financial institutions. In this episode, we hear from the largest pension fund in the U.S. — the California Public Employees' Retirement System, or CalPERS.
We speak to Simiso Nzima, managing investment director of global equity at CalPERS. The conversation focused on five vital sustainability topics — executive pay and its link to ESG performance; board diversity; climate risk; the lack of standardization in ESG metrics; the SEC’s new proposal on climate-related disclosures; and finally, the debate about divestment versus engagement.
To listen to our interview with BlackRock: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behind-the-scenes-with-blackrock-how-the-worlds/id1475521006?i=1000554510594
To listen to our interview with State Street Global Advisors: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/state-street-global-advisors-exec-on-climate-accountability/id1475521006?i=1000551552556
We'd love to hear from you. To give us feedback on this episode or share ideas for future episodes, please contact hosts Lindsey Hall (lindsey.hall@spglobal.com) and Esther Whieldon (esther.whieldon@spglobal.com).
Photo credit: Getty Images