Active Ownership Explained
We, at Nia, are activist investors. Getting big companies to improve their practices is a large part of the strategy behind our shareholder engagement. In an effort to reduce risk, encourage responsible and sustainable business practices, and to increase long term return on investment, we seek to engage with each of the companies within our portfolios on environmental and social justice issues. We like getting to know the people behind the ticker symbols, working to build win-win relationships, and being able to use our investor voice for change in areas that we identify as material.
Shareholders of a publicly traded company (i.e., you) are entitled to vote on annual proxy ballots. Issues on proxy ballots span proposals filed by individual and institutional investors (such as management or environmental issues) to voting on the boards of directors and executive compensation.
We view proxy voting as both an investor right and as a responsibility
Many investment managers either do not vote their clients’ proxies, or vote exclusively with management recommended positions.
At Nia, we incorporate strict and extensive voting guidelines that support our values of inclusion, diversity in leadership, and environmental sustainability. Our goal is to vote our clients’ proxies in alignment with both their financial interests and their values, seeking to vote proxies in a manner that is consistent with the highest aspirations of impact investors.
We're leaders in company engagement on climate, social, and racial equity
Our portfolio is structured to hold investments in companies leading us toward the next, just and sustainable economy. And yet, there is no perfect company. We engage with many of our portfolio holdings, encouraging them to be even better. We write letters, make phone calls, meet in person when possible, and file shareholder resolutions. We have led and filed numerous shareholder resolutions with companies concerning diversity and inclusion and company culture issues. Stay tuned as we report the results of these efforts. ​​