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Sustainable investing is a source of value creation in the long run for our clients, and acting responsibly is the foundation of a successful and resilient business model for our partners.»
- Valérie Cecchini, Managing Partner
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We are committed to support global and local initiatives that strive to promote knowledge and best practice sharing.
Becoming a UNPRI signatory was therefore a natural step forward for BOREALIS.»
- Florent Salmon, Managing Partner
Responsible Investing
- We view responsible investing as a mindset, which goes beyond “buy and sell” decisions. Managing funds on behalf of our clients entails an unwavering commitment to not only comply with the legal requirements applicable but also act responsibly, which is a defining part of our mission.
- Our responsibility therefore spans across all our activities: analysis and investment, engaging with corporations, proxy voting and partnering for sustainable finance education.
- Our intention is to influence corporations’ strategic choices and ultimately direct capital flows towards sustainable economic activities for the benefit of all stakeholders.
Responsible in Business
- As a Certified B Corporation, Borealis Global Asset Management is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of social responsibility, transparency, and ethical business behavior.
- Guided by our core corporate values—Stewardship of resources, Transparency, Alignment of interest, and Responsible corporate citizen, we recognize that our people are our greatest asset. We value open dialogue and the debate of ideas, recognizing that diversity of perspectives enriches our organization for the benefit of our clients and partners.
- We believe that diversity of thought has always been a source of strength, and we promote a respectful and inclusive work environment where no form of discrimination or harassment is tolerated. We give anyone a chance. We offer all candidates the same opportunities, considering technical, ethical and relational skills exclusively, without discrimination of any kind, whether positive or negative.
Our Compass
- How we invest and how we operate as a business are guided by a common set of principles articulated along four core values: alignment of interest, transparency, resource stewardship, and responsible citizenship.
- Our annual Sustainability Reports are designed as both a progress report and a path forward to a more inclusive capitalism, one investment and one vote at a time.
BOREALIS GAM
Our Voice As Shareholders
BOREALIS PROXY VOTING DECISIONS
As of Dec. 31st, 2024
Voting on all topics
During the 2024 proxy season, we cast our votes on 587 proposals, 26 of which were put forward by shareholders. We cast our votes based on our policy and our clients' best interests.
Overall, we supported 92% of all proposals, in line with our 4-year average., albeit it down from 94% support in 2023.
Across our portfolios, governance-related proposals constituted 50% of all shareholder proposals this year, a significant increase from 33% in 2022. Furthermore, social matters have now surpassed environmental and climate-related proposals in prominence, marking another departure from prior years.
Every vote counts
During the 2024 proxy season, we supported the majority of shareholders’ proposals (57%), with our strongest support directed to climate and environment-related proposals. This year saw the lowest level of support for socially-related shareholder proposals (50%) following a thorough review of the proponents’ backgrounds and intentions.
We supported 96% of management proposals. This reflects overall improvement across portfolio companies’ governance practices, as well as fewer controversies. We stood against the board in the following topics: lack of board independence, excessive executive compensation and frequency of election of directors.
We do not automatically support management nor shareholders' proposals. The merit of each proposal is carefully analyzed, guided by our governance principles, current best practices in each region and our clients' best interests.
BOREALIS GAM
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INVESTMENT, INFLUENCE AND IMPACT
PORTFOLIO AND OPERATIONS
Investment, Influence and Impact
Every dollar invested gives us the means to influence, and everytime we can influence, we bring about change which impact people's life. By providing capital, we support companies achieve their economic, social and environmental goals. Our portfolios contrinute to the advancement of primarily four of the United Nations Social Development Goals: Good health and well-being, Climate action, Responsible consumption and production and Quality education.
Sustainability journey
We track our portfolios' sustainability on 6 dimensions. All these dimensions are linked to financial metrics which are included in our future cash flow forecast and valuation modeling.
Tracking our own impact
We recognize that in our field, the choice of suppliers can sometimes be limited due to the specialization and complexity of the solutions involved.
Every decision matters. When quality and availability are comparable, we prioritize partners who share our values, uphold responsible business practices, and contribute to the development of our communities—both in Quebec and across Canada.
Investment themes we support
Building the world we want to live in and that we want to leave to future generations, by investing in growing sectors of activity and resilient business models: this is the key to creating long-term value.
Membership and Affiliations
The Principles for Responsible Investment are voluntary and aspirational principles that were developed by an international group of institutional investors reflecting the increasing relevance of environmental, social and corporate governance issues to investment practices.
The process was convened by the United Nations Secretary-General.
Women Business Enterprises Canada Council (WBE Canada) is a Canadian non-profit organization that is opening doors for Canadian women-owned businesses to supply chains across Canada, North America and globally.
Redefining success in business
B Locals are place-based communities of people using business as a force for good. At the core of every B Local are Certified B Corporations®—for-profit companies using the power of business to transform the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet.
Established in 1952, the Portfolio Management Association of Canada (PMAC) is not-for-profit organization that exclusively represents that are regulated by provincial securities commissions under the category "portfolio management".
PMAC currently represents over 320 firms who collectively manage over $3.6 trillion in assets on behalf of pension plans, foundations, non-profit organizations, institutions and high net worth investors.
