Designing a Gender Lens Investing Action Plan
From Criterion Institute - Criterion Institute has created a tool that can be used by anyone looking to develop a gender lens investing strategy – from foundations, to women’s funds, to investors across asset classes. Following a standard investment cycle, this tool supports the design of an investment strategy with considerations for how gender dynamics might present risks and opportunities. It provides a framework to consider building a gender lens into new or existing strategies. This tool can be used to inform investment strategy or in diligence. Wherever you find yourself in your gender lens investing journey, we hope this tool helps expand imagination of what is possible in the field.
Institutional Asset Owners: Strategies for engaging with asset managers for impact
From The GIIN- Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data from institutional asset owners along with qualitative data from asset managers and intermediaries, this research seeks to detail which strategies and mechanisms asset owners may need in place to align with asset managers to achieve impact across their portfolios. The research brief covers the nature of engagement with asset owners, challenges in pursuing impact alongside asset managers, and strategies to align impact incentives with external asset managers.
Diversity in the Asset Management Industry
From Willis Towers Watson This paper covers:
Our beliefs around the importance of diversity as a key ingredient of success for asset managers
The importance of looking beyond asset management ownership to understand diversity and what really drives performance
Our approach to measuring diversity and asset management culture and how we are engaging with the asset management industry
The initial findings of our assessment of diversity and the positive link to performance outcomes
The tools we have developed to assess and assist asset managers and asset owners to help bring about change in the area of diversity
A guide to investing in first-time women and diverse fund managers
Fiduciary duty is often cited as the reason why investors and investment advisors limit the universe of investable propositions to structures and managers that are familiar and considered established. And yet we know that a significant portion of the market – investment in women setting up funds for the first-time – is currently being overlooked. Many of the most innovative funds are from emerging managers. This guide, produced by GenderSmart’s First-Time (Women and Diverse) Fund Managers Investing with a Gender Lens Initiative, is a tool for asset allocators and advisors, as well as for fund managers. It is designed to help you make the case, be inspired by leading investors who are showing the way, understand the structural solutions to backing more of these funds and structured vehicles, find deal flow, and understand how to diligence and move capital into these innovative managers.
Diversifying Investments: A Study of Ownership Diversity and Performance in the Asset Management Industry
From the Knight Foundation. This report captures insights from a new study about the state of diversity in the U.S. asset management industry. Professor Josh Lerner (Harvard Business School) and Bella Research Group led the research, building on a similar study published in May 2017. While numerous studies have documented the lack of diversity among asset managers and asset management firm employees, the current research contributes a new perspective by analyzing the diversity of ownership of asset management firms as well as any performance differences between diverse-owned and non-diverse owned asset mangers.