London, 13 September 2013 – 30 companies have been shortlisted in the Transparency in Governance category of the 2013 Excellence in Governance Awards. Now in their fifth year, the awards recognise companies’ commitment to improve transparency and accountability through their annual reporting and accounts. The awards are particularly timely as companies seek to continue to build trust and confidence with their stakeholders while operating in challenging economic conditions.
The awards, an ICSA initiative in partnership with Hermes Equity Ownership Services and ISS, will be presented at The Brewery in London on Wednesday, 13 November. The event will be hosted by Financial Times columnist Lucy Kellaway.
There are nine awards in total, with FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 companies eligible for separate awards in the same four categories – best annual report, best board disclosure, best strategy and risk disclosure, and best sustainability and stakeholder disclosure. There is a separate award for the best annual report in the small cap/AIM category.
The panel of judges, chaired by Sir Richard Olver, non-executive chairman at BAE Systems, will now meet to choose winners for each category.
• Best annual report
FTSE 100: BAE Systems plc, Land Securities Group PLC, Petrofac Limited, Tullow Oil plc
FTSE 250: Berendsen plc, Great Portland Estates plc, National Express Group PLC, Provident Financial plc
• Best board disclosure
FTSE 100: BHP Billiton Plc, Land Securities Group PLC, Marks and Spencer Group plc, Petrofac Limited
FTSE 250: Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC, Provident Financial plc, Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc, Telecity Group plc
• Best strategy and risk disclosure
FTSE 100: Admiral Group plc, Aggreko plc, BT Group plc, Tullow Oil plc
FTSE 250: Afren plc, Derwent London plc, Great Portland Estates plc, Provident Financial plc
• Best sustainability and stakeholder disclosure
FTSE 100: Antofagasta plc, Aviva plc, Johnson Matthey Plc, Unilever PLC
FTSE 250: Berkeley Group Holdings plc, Derwent London plc, Intu Properties plc, Mondi plc
• Best Small Cap/AIM report
Costain Group PLC, McBride plc, Shanks Group plc, Vitec Group plc
Seamus Gillen, ICSA’s Policy Director, said:
‘This year’s entries have highlighted how much effort companies continue to make ensuring that their reporting meets the high standards expected by investors, regulators, and other key stakeholders. All of the companies shortlisted have been considered by the judging panel to have risen to the challenge in an exceptional way.’
- Ends -
Media contact:
Maria Brookes
mbrookes@icsaglobal.com
+44 (0)20 7612 7062
+44 (0)7890 649 143
Notes to Editors:
1. The chair of the judging panel is Sir Richard Olver, Chair, BAE Systems plc
2. The judges (in alphabetical order) are as follows:
Lyn Colloff, FCIS, Company Secretary, Cobham Plc
Frank Curtiss, FCIS, Head of Corporate Governance, Railpen Investments
Chris Hodge, Head of Corporate Governance, Financial Reporting Council
Jo Iwasaki, FCA, Head of Corporate Governance, ICAEW
Gillian Lees, MA(Oxon), Enterprise Governance Specialist, CIMA
John Ludlow, Board member, AIRMIC
Charles Mayo, Partner, Simmons & Simmons
Colin Melvin, Chief Executive, Hermes Equity Ownership Services
Andrew Ninian, Assistant Director, Head of Corporate Governance, ABI
Simon Osborne, FCIS, Chief Executive, ICSA
David Paterson, MA FRSA, Head of Corporate Governance, NAPF
Nicola Rimmer, MSc CFIIA, President, Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors
Mark Wearden, FCCA FCIS ACCA Governance Risk and Performance Forum/ MBS Challenging Perception
Observers
Mark Jackson, Senior Policy Advisor, Market Frameworks, Department for Business, Innovation & Skills
William Lacey, Policy Adviser, Financial Services, HM Treasury
3. Details about the ICSA Excellence in Governance Awards 2013 can be viewed here: www.icsa.org.uk/excellence-in-governance-awards
4. ICSA (The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators) is the membership and qualifying body for professionals working in governance, risk and compliance, including company secretaries. Our members work in all sectors and at every level of seniority. With over 100 years’ of experience, we champion high governance standards by providing qualifications, training, high-quality guidance and support (including technical resources, publications and software), and through our work with regulators and policy makers. Website: www.icsa.org.uk
5. Hermes is a unique fund manager – we have been an industry leader in Responsible Investing for over thirty years and offer clients the unparalleled combination of:
• Our Multi-Boutique Structure gives institutional and pension fund clients globally the benefit of access to a broad range of specialist, high conviction investment teams operating within an established and robust operating platform.
• Our Investment Office is a crucial function, acting as a performance risk ‘radar’ for all boutiques’ investment activity and is central to our mission to deliver Sustainable Risk-Adjusted Alpha to all our clients.
• Our commitment to behaving as a Responsible Asset Manager, not merely by being a ‘Responsible Investor’ in quoted companies but also by applying these principles across all asset classes and by behaving as a ‘good fiduciary’ on behalf of our clients.
Hermes' investment solutions include:
• Bonds: Inflation-Linked, Government Bonds, Investment Grade, High Yield
• Alternatives: Commodities, Hedge Fund Solutions, Real Estate, Private Equity, Infrastructure
• Equities: Global, Emerging Markets, Small Cap, Europe, Japan
Hermes manages assets on behalf of more than 170 clients* across these investment areas with £24.9 billion* assets under management. Additionally, we support pension funds and other global institutional investors worldwide in meeting their ESG responsibilities through our market leading Hermes Equity Ownership Services, which takes on a stewardship role engaging globally on more than £115 billion* of assets.
*Please note the total AuM figure includes £3.6bn of assets managed or under an advisory agreement by Hermes GPE LLP (“HGPE”), a joint venture between Hermes Fund Managers (“HFM”) and GPE Partner Limited. HGPE is an independent entity and not part of the Hermes group. £0.4bn of total group AuM figure represents HFM mandates under advice. Source: Hermes as at 30 June 2013.
6. ISS, founded in 1985 as Institutional Shareholder Services Inc., is the world's leading provider of proxy advisory and corporate governance solutions to financial market participants. ISS' services include objective proxy research and analysis, end-to-end proxy voting and distribution solutions, turnkey securities class-action claims management, and reliable governance data and modelling tools. More than 1,700 clients rely on ISS' expertise to help them make informed corporate governance decisions. ISS is located in financial centres worldwide and is a subsidiary of MSCI Inc., a leading provider of investment decision support tools to investors globally.
