ICGN Global Stewardship Disclosure Awards Methodology
About
Since 2020, the ICGN Global Stewardship Disclosure Awards have been open to all asset owners and managers that meet the eligibility criteria below, irrespective of their size or location or whether they are members of ICGN.
There are different award categories for asset owners and asset managers. There will be separate awards for larger and smaller owners and managers, totalling to four separate awards overall. A larger asset owner or manager is defined as one that is responsible for assets under management above USD 80 bn (£60 bn).
All disclosures will be assessed by an independent analyst against criteria set by ICGN, following which shortlists for each category will be announced. The winner of each category will be chosen by independent judging panels and announced at the ICGN Global Virtual Summit, 3rd November.
Categories
The awards are comprised of four categories, including:
- Stewardship Disclosure - Asset Owner (>£60 billion AUM)
- Stewardship Disclosure - Asset Owner (<£60 billion AUM)
- Stewardship Disclosure - Asset Manager (>£60 billion AUM)
- Stewardship Disclosure - Asset Manager (<£60 billion AUM)
Eligibility
ICGN investor members are automatically eligible to be considered for an award. If you are an ICGN member you do not need to complete a nomination form.
All other asset owners and asset managers are eligible to nominate themselves for an award if:
- their disclosures explain both their stewardship approach (for example, policy statements) and how it has been implemented in practice (for example, annual or quarterly reports);
- these disclosures are freely accessible on a website;
- these disclosures are available in English; and
- the disclosures explaining how the investor has implemented their stewardship policies have been updated in the twelve months to 30 April 2021
Nominations are now open for the 2022 ICGN Global Stewardship Disclosure Awards.
Click here to complete the relevant nomination forms.
Nominations close on 1st July 2022. Winners will be announced at the ICGN Governance & Stewardship Awards Forum on 1st December 2022.
Assessment Criteria
Eligible disclosures will be assessed against detailed criteria that are based on the ICGN’s Global Stewardship Principles. These criteria are split between policies and implementation, with most weight being placed on implementation. Examples of the type of disclosures that the analyst and judging panels might include:
The completeness and clarity of the investor’s stewardship policies.
- a description of how they integrate their stewardship responsibilities with their overall investment approach;
- whether and how ESG factors are integrated into their policies;
- an explanation of how monitoring and engagement is prioritised;
- details of their voting policies;
- an explanation of how their stewardship policies are applied to outsourced activities and to asset classes other than listed equities; and
- information about their internal governance arrangements, including how any possible conflicts of interest are managed.
Evidence of how those policies have been implemented in practice.
- annual or other regular reports highlighting the investor’s stewardship activities;
- case studies and examples illustrating the impact of those activities;
- summary data on the nature and extent of engagement they have undertaken;
- information on how their voting rights have been exercised, with a particular focus on when and why they have voted against resolutions;
- information on the level of resource dedicated to monitoring, engagement and oversight of any outsourced activities;
- evidence of an active involvement in collaborative initiatives and
- information on how they have engaged with their own clients and beneficiaries
In addition to the content of the disclosures, judges will also assess their design and accessibility, including how easily all the relevant information can be found and the use of any features that make it more interesting and engaging for the reader.