ASSET4 AG, the leading provider of quantifiable environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) information, and the Storebrand Group, a leading player in the Nordic market for pensions, life and health insurance, banking and asset management, jointly announced today that Storebrand has acquired a subscription for the ASSET4 ESG information solution. Storebrand plans to use the ASSET4 system to retrieve raw data for current research efforts. This will in turn free up resources to enable an increased level of engagement with companies in its investment universe.
"The Storebrand Group is a leader in the responsible investment community in Norway and beyond, and for many years has used its influence to contribute to sustainable development," said Henrik Steffensen, Co–Founder and VP of Marketing for ASSET4. "They are also an organisation that "˜walks its talk´ - living up to the standards that they expect from other companies. In support of their three–pronged approach to investing that focuses on negative screening, best–in–class identification and engagement, the ASSET4 information solution will enable Storebrand to free up resources currently focused on data gathering."
"We are currently tracking approximately 3000 companies to ensure that our investments do not contribute to unacceptable business practices. Data gathering for our ´Best in Class´ analyses takes up a significant amount of our analysts´ time," said Christine Tørklep Meisingset, Head of Responsible Investments for Storebrand. "ASSET4´s ESG database and tools will help simplify this process and enable us to focus our resources on developing constructive dialogues with companies. ASSET4 will provide us with objective evidence regarding sustainability practices, which in turn we can use as a basis for our analyses and engagement discussions. It is important to note that Storebrand will still perform in–house analyses of companies´ corporate responsibility performance."
ASSET4
ASSET4 provides professional investors a new generation of investment research information and corporate executives ESG management and benchmarking capabilities. The ASSET4 information and tools enable clients to improve investment performance, reduce risk, develop innovative products, drive down research costs and monitor the ESG aspects of their companies and portfolios. ASSET4 has 240 employees and is based in Zug, Switzerland with offices in London, New York, Paris, Frankfurt, Mauritius and India. It is a proud signatory of the UN´s Principles for Responsible Investment. For more information, please visit www.asset4.com.
Storebrand
The Storebrand Group, with roots back to 1767, is a leading player in the Nordic markets for pensions, life and health insurance, banking, P&C insurance and asset management. Storebrand acquired the Swedish life insurance and pensions provider SPP in December 2007. Storebrand´s commitment to corporate responsibility represents a long–term strategy that is firmly anchored in the company´s corporate vision and values. For more information, please visit www.storebrand.com.
