San Franscisco, May 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Callan, a leading institutional investment consulting firm, announced today it has joined the Intentional Endowments Network (IEN), a nonprofit, peer-learning network advancing intentionally designed endowments that seek to enhance financial performance by aligning with mission, values, and sustainability goals.
“Considering environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors when making investment decisions is both a relevant and pragmatic research requirement for institutional investors,” said Callan Executive Chairman Ron Peyton. “Our membership with IEN will help increase the industry’s pace of conversation around ESG—as well as its acceptance.”
According to Callan’s 2017 ESG Survey, which features the responses of 105 institutional investors with $1.1 trillion of total plan assets, incorporating ESG into investment decisions is viewed by many as a fiduciary responsibility. In fact, since the inception of the 2013 survey, the ESG adoption rate increased 68% among respondents. Larger funds (greater than $20 billion in assets) had the highest adoption rate in the 2017 survey (78%), and some indicated this stemmed from bigger participant pools with constituents asking for ESG investment options.
“Callan is committed to advancing research and education that informs responsible investing, which we believe can be consistent with our focus on long-term investment outcomes for our clients,” said Anna West, senior vice president and chair of Callan’s ESG Committee. “We look forward to contributing to this network and benefiting from the great work underway with other leaders on economic, social, and environmental sustainability.”
In addition to its upcoming 2018 ESG Survey, Callan and its ESG Committee are working on a number of ESG initiatives, including a white paper on climate change, ESG manager survey, and continued manager research and evaluation.
“Endowments, foundations, and other institutional investors are increasingly seeing that careful consideration of ESG factors is critical to long-term success,” said Georges Dyer, IEN’s co-founder and principal. “Callan’s leadership and expertise on these topics comprise a valuable addition to the Network, and will help accelerate the development and adoption of sustainable investment strategies.”
About Callan
Callan was founded as an employee-owned investment consulting firm in 1973. Ever since, we have empowered institutional clients with creative, customized investment solutions backed by proprietary research, exclusive data, and ongoing education. Today, Callan advises on more than $2 trillion in total fund sponsor assets, which makes it among the largest independently owned investment consulting firms in the U.S. Callan uses a client-focused consulting model to serve pension and defined contribution plan sponsors, endowments, foundations, independent investment advisers, investment managers, and other asset owners. Callan has six offices throughout the U.S. Learn more at callan.com.
About Intentional Endowments Network
The Intentional Endowments Network (IEN) is a nonprofit, peer-learning network advancing intentionally designed endowments that seek to enhance financial performance by aligning with institutional mission, values, and sustainability goals. Working closely with leading organizations, the network engages leaders and key stakeholders from higher education, foundations, business, and nonprofits. It provides opportunities for learning and education, peer networking, convening, thought leadership, and information exchange around a variety of strategies (e.g., ESG integration, impact investing, and shareholder engagement). The IEN facilitates a sharing of knowledge through publications, events, webinars, working groups, and more. Visit intentionalendowments.org.
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