We are firmly committed to diversity. We are committed to fostering a sense of community among our employees and work to build an inclusive workplace. It is the duty of every employee at Covisory Holdings to promote inclusivity. Our teams are aware that diversity and inclusion are differentiators.
It helps us become more resilient and creative, which in turn enables us to better serve our investors, portfolio companies, and the neighborhoods where we work..
Senior Partners make up the Inclusion and Diversity Committee at Covisory Holdings, which is responsible for leading the organization's efforts to promote inclusion. We recently brought on board a committed senior leader to lead our internal I&D initiatives and assist our portfolio companies as they work to become even more inclusive. Covisory Holdings is dedicated to fostering an atmosphere where everyone, regardless of the diversity they bring to our teams, feels safe, seen, valued, and connected.
The broadness and depth of our research, the strategies we provide, and the clients we serve have all
been globalized since our inception. Our conviction that deep fundamental analysis, a long-term
investment outlook, and a quantitative discipline can produce appealing long-term investment outcomes
for our clients has not changed.
When high-priced investment products flooded the marketplace - and our founders believed clients
deserved a new kind of investment firm.
Covisory Holdings was founded with the goal of putting clients' interests first through a focused set of
investment strategies designed to preserve and enhance their investment capital over the long term and
offered at reasonable and transparent fees.
These principles still guide our firm more than 14 years later.
Our goal is to fairly hire, develop, promote, and treat all of our employees. To create an equal playing field for those who work with us and the clients we serve, we are working nonstop. Covisory Holdings actively supports non-profit groups that share our commitment
The institutional investors listed below recognize the existence of structural racism and the harm it causes to Black, Indigenous, and Racialized communities around the globe.
Promoting multiculturalism and inclusion is not only ethically correct, but it is also advantageous to society and business. Elevated concentrations of diversity and inclusion are associated with better corporate profitability, growth, and employee engagement, according to a growing body of research. The inclusion of diversity and inclusion in business decisions opens up opportunities for underrepresented groups, which also enhances reputation, reinforces governance, and lowers risk.
As a result, the investors signing this letter urge publicly traded companies to take the lead in international initiatives to address systemic inequities by advancing diversity and inclusion initiatives and enhancing transparency and accountability. We also encourage our own institutions to promote diversity and the inclusion of underrepresented people in our groups.
Improve the annual public disclosure of diversity data, paying particular attention to the representation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color who self-identify as such on boards, executive teams, and throughout the entire organization;
Adopt guidelines, deadlines, and policies to increase diversity in senior management and on boards, particularly with regard to the representation of underrepresented groups, with the ultimate goal of achieving racial and ethnic demographic parity.
By adopting hiring practices that take into account a more diverse pool of candidates and by actively seeking out underrepresented voices to inform diversity and inclusion activities and address challenges, organizations can broaden and make their efforts to address barriers to diversity and inclusion more visible.
We absolutely guarantee to evaluate and revise our plan as we develop expertise, and we'll let you know about the things we're doing to promote diversity and inclusion. We warmly welcome network of business to join us and share knowledge and experiences in order to strengthen our collective intentional efforts to build a more welcoming and anti-racist financing and industry environment.
We, the undersigned institutional investors, acknowledge the existence of systemic racism and the effects it has on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities around the world.
We also acknowledge that there are inequities and forms of discrimination based on things like socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, and even age and sexual orientation. It is up to us all to make sure that the enduring injustices in our economy and society are eradicated.
By making conscious efforts to promote diversity and inclusion across our portfolios and within our organizations, institutional investors can help address these inequities.
It is not only morally right to encourage diversity and inclusion, but it is also beneficial for business and society. A growing body of research demonstrates the correlation between increased levels of diversity and inclusion and better corporate financial performance, growth, and employee engagement.
Underrepresented groups can benefit from opportunities made possible by the incorporation of diversity and inclusion into business decisions, which also improves reputation, strengthens governance, and reduces risk.
As a result, the investors signing this letter urge publicly traded companies to take the lead in international initiatives to address systemic inequities by advancing diversity and inclusion initiatives and enhancing transparency and accountability.
Communicate with investee companies about our expectations for better performance and disclosure on diversity and inclusion practices, including the advancement of underrepresented groups on boards, executive teams, and throughout the larger organization; integrate diversity and inclusion into our investment processes, starting with tracking and monitoring the performance of public companies in these areas, reviewing and updating our stewardship priorities and proxy voting guidelines as necessary, and interacting with external managers about their diversity and inclusion promotion strategies; enhance our own organizations' diversity and inclusion policies.
We pledge to review and update our strategy as we gain experience, and we will report on our initiatives to support diversity and inclusion. We cordially invite additional investors to join us in advancing our sincere and concerted efforts to create a business and investment environment that is more welcoming and anti-racist.
Diverse viewpoints and independent thought have been key to Covisory Holdings's growth as a successful company. It is crucial to our hiring and talent management strategies as well as our investment philosophy. Our goal is to hire the best candidates from the largest pool of applicants and to help them achieve their professional goals. We see diversity in its broadest sense as essential to the Company reaching its long-term objectives, including gender, social background, race, sexual orientation, age, disability, learning style, and religion.
Covisory Holdings is dedicated to fostering respect and understanding among its workers and the larger industry by valuing and encouraging individuality. We support programs like Investment 20/20 and provide graduates and college graduates with traineeships and apprenticeships. From a professional standpoint, we are a founding member of the Diversity Project and signatories of the Women in Finance Charter.
Because of its distinctive culture and commitment to diversity, Covisory Holdings encourages employees to express
their individuality. Therefore, not only can individual employees clearly influence what the company
does, but also how it is done. We will continue to deliver the right results for our clients and create
a sustainable and expanding business over the long term by putting a priority on identifying,
developing, rewarding, and retaining talent as well as ensuring equality of opportunity.
Three essential elements make up our overarching philosophy for creating an inclusive environment for
diverse talent:
A broader perspective on diversity and inclusion: We are committed to taking into account all factors,
including socioeconomic status, disability, ethnicity, gender, and neurodiversity.
A dedication to altering people's perspectives through education and the development of corporate
culture, as well as making sure that everyone is held accountable.
Our goal is to fairly hire, develop, promote, and treat all of our employees.
To create an equal playing field for those who work with us and the clients we serve, we are working
nonstop. Covisory Holdings actively supports non-profit groups that share our commitment
We think businesses cannot fully comprehend the forces influencing their industry, the global economy, and the world if they do not take inclusion and diversity (I&D) issues seriously. A diverse and well-connected group of professionals has the best chance of responding to such challenges. The most difficult challenges of today come from a diverse, interconnected world. Therefore, considering inclusion and diversity as an investment is important rather than just focusing on it from a moral perspective.
We must first address the fact that determining the significance of I&D issues on company performance has been hampered by poor data quality and data scarcity. BlackRock, however, considers I&D as a long-term investor today for a fundamental reason.
Issues like I&D may become more crucial to a company's bottom line as societal preferences change, whether as an employee, consumer, or investor. Currently, some studies suggest a potential positive relationship between certain I&D factors and corporate performance indicators.
Beyond gender diversity, research has discovered a correlation between LGBT-welcoming policies and higher stock returns, higher firm value, higher productivity, and higher profitability. One theory is that sexual-orientation equality increases a company's competitive advantages in the labor markets, though more research is required to fully understand the underlying mechanism.
Additionally, by ensuring that all talented workers, including new parents and those caring for elderly family members, can thrive in their positions, policies like flexible hours and daycare services may help retain talent and lower employee turnover.
Companies can further develop and retain talent by using more conventional human capital metrics, such as internal promotion, employee satisfaction, and management training, along with systemic change to help employees adopt new habits and practices.
At Covisory Holdings, we think "inclusion and diversity" is a skill that managers and leaders can develop, and if they do, they'll have a better chance of raising the level of engagement and productivity among those who work for and around them.
We make significant investments to create a culture where everyone has the opportunity to flourish and where all voices, not just the loudest or most well-known, can contribute ideas that aid in the accomplishment of our clients' objectives. We require a diverse and inclusive form in order to serve our variety of clients.
We place a great deal of emphasis on I&D because we fully comprehend and acknowledge how a diverse and inclusive workforce can contribute to innovation and better decision-making. Additionally, businesses that don't take diversity and inclusion seriously miss out on the chance to fully comprehend the dynamic business environment in which they operate.
More than the environment is involved in sustainable investing. On our sustainable investing platform, we have also been concentrating on I&D as an investment option. We are developing solutions to make it easier for investors to learn about businesses that are pioneers in promoting inclusion and diversity principles throughout their operations as a result of the growing interest we are receiving from our clients.