Conning Achieves Top Score for ESG Strategy & Governance from PRI

Highlights Importance of Sustainability Principles in Investment Decision Making

HARTFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leading global investment management firm Conning has received an ‘A+’ score for its overarching approach to ESG Strategy and Governance in its 2020 Assessment Report from the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). Conning has been a signatory to the UN Principles since 2012, and underscored its commitment to incorporating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors into credit ratings and analysis in a systematic and transparent way by signing the PRI’s ESG in credit risk and ratings statement last year.

“We are proud of our strong scores in the PRI assessment because they affirm our commitment to the benefits of sustainable investing,” said Woody Bradford, Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board of Conning. “We believe that by effectively integrating ESG factors into our investment processes, and expanding access to sustainable investing platforms as we have done in partnership with Global Evolution, we are helping our clients advance ESG practices and meet their objectives.”

In June 2020, Conning acquired a majority interest in Global Evolution, an investor in emerging and frontier markets, with a focus on evaluating emerging market debt opportunities based on ESG factors. Global Evolution also achieved an ‘A+’ rating for its Strategy and Governance in the UN PRI Assessment Report for 2020.

“Conning is committed to incorporating ESG factors into investment analysis and decision-making processes and we have seen clearly that they reveal a more fulsome assessment of borrowers’ creditworthiness,” said Matt Daly, a member of Conning’s ESG Steering Committee and Head of Credit Research. “Our dedicated focus on responsible investing also allows Conning to further customize the investment solutions we provide to our clients globally.”

Conning’s global team of analysts applies a proprietary ESG factor-weighting matrix to better understand the impact ESG factors have on each issuer based on its industry. This consistent evaluation framework allows portfolio managers to review and discuss the ESG risks of individual issuers with research analysts and decide whether to include or exclude issuers based upon each client’s unique risk tolerance and portfolio objectives. Conning manages each client portfolio according to its unique guidelines and constraints.

A snapshot of Conning’s 2020 PRI Assessment Report, and Transparency Report are linked here for additional information. The snapshot and Transparency Report for Global Evolution are also provided for reference.

ABOUT CONNING

Conning (www.conning.com) is a leading investment management firm with approximately $180 billion in global assets under management as of June 30, 2020.* With a long history of serving the insurance industry, Conning supports institutional investors, including pension plans, with investment solutions and asset management offerings, risk modeling software, and industry research. Founded in 1912, Conning has investment centers in Asia, Europe and North America.

*As of June 30, 2020, represents the combined global assets under management for the affiliated firms under Conning Holdings Limited and Cathay Securities Investment Trust Co., Ltd. (“SITE”). SITE reports internally into Conning Asia Pacific Limited, but is a separate legal entity under Cathay Financial Holding Co., Ltd. which is the ultimate controlling parent of all Conning Holdings Limited controlled entities.