Tag Archives: Adam Howard

ESG in 2021 So Far: An Update (Part III of III)

by Marc Gerber, Greg Norman, Simon Toms, Helena Derbyshire, Louise Batty, Adam Howard, Eve-Christie Vermynck, Damian Babic, Zoe Cooper Sutton, Caroline Kim, Abigail Reeves, Patrick Tsitsaros, Eleanor Williams, and Kathryn Gamble

This is Part III of a three-part post. For Part I, providing an overview of correct ESG predictions for companies based in the U.K. and Europe in 2021, click here. For Part II, which continues its analysis of ESG predictions, click here. 

New Areas of Interest

Data, Tech and ESG[1]

As investors have focused on the E in ESG, many have divested fossil fuel-based holdings and shifted investment to technology, which is regarded as greener. For example, large ESG-focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs) now look very much like tech-sector ETFs, with Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet and Facebook topping the holdings at several.

However, as the technology sector evolves and data becomes increasingly valuable, the need for effective management and safeguarding will determine whether it continues to be seen as an ESG-friendly industry. Cybersecurity, for example, has emerged as a critical governance risk when evaluating investments, a concern that has only been heightened by the shift to remote working during the pandemic.

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ESG in 2021 So Far: An Update (Part II of III)

by Marc Gerber, Greg Norman, Simon Toms, Helena Derbyshire, Louise Batty, Adam Howard, Eve-Christie Vermynck, Damian Babic, Zoe Cooper Sutton, Caroline Kim, Abigail Reeves, Patrick Tsitsaros, Eleanor Williams, and Kathryn Gamble

This is Part II of a three-part post. For Part I, providing an overview of correct ESG predictions for companies based in the U.K. and Europe in 2021, click here. Part III will discuss new areas of interest in the ESG field and make new predictions. 

Executive Remuneration[1]

Executive remuneration has proved a contentious topic in 2021. A PwC report found that executive pay at the U.K.’s biggest companies dropped by nearly a fifth as companies responded to warnings from institutional investors that they expected remuneration to reflect the impact of the pandemic on stakeholders. Where companies failed to take this into consideration, such as Foxtons and Morrisons, a significant portion of shareholders voted against the companies’ remuneration plans ― particularly, where those companies received government support during the pandemic, raised emergency cash and/or suffered a substantial fall in share price.

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ESG in 2021 So Far: An Update (Part I of III)

by Marc Gerber, Greg Norman, Simon Toms, Helena Derbyshire, Louise Batty, Adam Howard, Eve-Christie Vermynck, Damian Babic, Zoe Cooper Sutton, Caroline Kim, Abigail Reeves, Patrick Tsitsaros, Eleanor Williams, and Kathryn Gamble

The rapidly growing focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters that marked 2020 continued to shape events for companies operating or based in the U.K. and Europe in 2021. Discussions of ESG are occurring at all levels, from the boardroom to investors to employees, and governments, regulators and companies are all being encouraged to take these matters into consideration. In our 1 February 2021 article (“ESG: Key Trends in 2020 and Expectations for 2021”), we set out what we thought would be the key ESG trends to watch this year. In this article, we take stock of those predictions, discuss new issues that have emerged over the year and identify the trends we think will be prominent during the remainder of 2021.

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