Helping activate change with active ownership
We believe we can create better outcomes for our clients by actively engaging when we invest. Investors can use their voice to press for positive changes through a combination of dialogue with companies and voting at shareholder meetings.
How have we helped?
We believe we can create better outcomes for our clients by actively engaging when we invest.
Support for environmental proposals: 42%
This is almost four times the industry average
Support for social proposals: 23%
This is almost double the industry average
Support for governance proposals: 70%
This is almost double the industry average
Latest Active Ownership Report
Our 2025 Active Ownership Report explains how Quintet used its voting rights during the year, the themes that shaped our decisions and how we put our active ownership principles into practice.
To view and download the 2025 Annual Engagement Review published by EOS at Federated Hermes, our engagement partner for the reporting period, please click on the link below.
CASE STUDIES
Voting at companies
Artificial Intelligence
ALPHABET INC. 2025 AGM
Proposal:
Shareholders requested an independent report assessing the human rights risks associated with the company’s use of artificial intelligence technologies, including targeted advertising and content recommendation systems.
The issue:
Alphabet, the parent company of Google and YouTube, plays a significant role in the development and deployment of AI technologies globally. While the company has published certain AI principles and governance disclosures, investors continue to seek greater transparency regarding board-level oversight, algorithmic bias, misinformation risks and harmful content distribution.
The increasing integration of AI technologies across products and services presents material legal, regulatory and reputational risks if these issues are not appropriately managed. Greater disclosure could help investors better understand how these risks are identified, monitored and mitigated over time.
Our vote: For
We supported the proposal as enhanced disclosure and independent assessment could provide shareholders with greater clarity regarding the governance and oversight of AI-related human rights risks and support more responsible deployment of artificial intelligence technologies.
Human Rights
WALT DISNEY COMPANY 2025 AGM
Proposal:
Shareholders requested that Disney reconsider its participation in external diversity and human rights benchmarking initiatives, including the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.
The issue:
The proposal argued that participation in external diversity and inclusion initiatives could expose the company to reputational and financial risks. However, established human rights and diversity practices can also support workforce inclusion, employee engagement and long-term business resilience.
EOS considered whether the proposal aligned with long-term shareholder interests and whether it demonstrated a financially material rationale for changing the company’s existing practices and commitments relating to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Our vote: Against
We opposed the proposal as it challenged established human rights and diversity practices without demonstrating sufficient long-term shareholder benefit or financially material justification for the requested changes.
Child Safety and Content Moderation
APPLE INC. 2025 AGM
Proposal:
Shareholders requested that the company publish a report outlining the costs and benefits associated with its approach to child safety technologies and content moderation tools designed to identify child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
The issue:
Apple plays a significant role in how digital content is stored and shared globally. While the company has introduced several child safety and content moderation features, concerns remain regarding the balance between privacy protections and the detection and prevention of harmful online content.
Technology platforms may face increasing legal, regulatory and reputational risks where harmful content is not effectively addressed. Investors therefore sought additional transparency regarding how Apple manages these risks and evaluates the effectiveness of its child safety measures.
Our vote: For
We supported the proposal as greater transparency would help investors better understand how the company balances user privacy considerations with its responsibilities relating to child safety and harmful content prevention.
Taking responsibility
Our parent company Quintet are proud members of the Climate Action 100+ initiative, a leading collaborative investor engagement on climate change. They are also signatories of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), the world’s leading proponent of responsible and sustainable investing. By participating in these influential networks, we reinforce our commitment to driving meaningful change.
How we vote
Where possible and feasible, we seek to vote at all shareholder meetings of the companies in which we invest for our clients. Currently, we vote for direct line equities in portfolios of our in-house funds.
How we engage
We invest in a wide range of companies to align with the diverse needs of our clients. As many of these companies are large, our direct investments may be small relative to the size of the firm. To be effective in engaging with these companies, we believe that collaborative engagement is likely to achieve better results than efforts we might undertake on our own. Our parent company Quintet have therefore hired a specialised external service provider, EOS Hermes, to conduct engagement on our behalf. In cases where collaborative engagement is not practical, we may undertake direct engagement ourselves with the companies we invest in.
Previous active ownership reports
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