The Church Commissioners – the statutory investment body responsible
for historic assets of the Church of England – has won three major
prizes at the Investment & Pensions Europe (IPE) Awards for its
ethical and responsible investment work.
The awards – for Climate
Related Risk Management; Environment, Social and Governance; and Real
Estate – come on top of the two awards the Commissioners won in April
at the Portfolio Institutional Awards. But it did not take the top
award of Best European Pension Fund, for which it was shortlisted.
“We are thrilled with these awards,” the Commissioners’ head of
responsible investment, Edward Mason, said. “They reflect our commitment
to responsible investment, good governance and acting on climate
change. There is still much work to be done, and of course in the long
term the prize that really matters is meeting the two degree target
agreed in Paris last year.
The Church Commissioners launched a comprehensive climate policy last
year ahead of the COP21 climate change conference in Paris. That was
one of the things recognised by the judges, along with its “pivotal
focus” on shareholder resolutions and engagement; and ensuring the
reduction of the portfolio’s carbon footprint through investment and
divestment strategy. This lead to what the C of E said was “a near
perfect score of 19.75 points out of a possible 20 for Climate Related
Risk Management.”
The Commissioners hit the headlines this year after it garnered substantial support for a shareholder motion on climate change at ExxonMobil’s AGM.
The IPE Awards are presented at Europe’s largest annual gathering of
pension funds and service providers.
The Church Commissioners manage a
£7 billion investment fund for the Church of England.
Last year it
distributed funds of £218.5 million, making it the third largest
charitable giver in the UK; and the 14th largest internationally.