ESG Data Convergence Project represents groups with AUM of more than US$9 trillion
VANCOUVER (March 14, 2022) — UBC Investment Management Trust Inc. (UBC IMANT), through the funds it manages on behalf of the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the university’s Staff Pension Plan, continues to advance its Responsible Investment Strategy by using influence and leadership within the institutional investment industry to advance ESG data collection and reporting.
UBC IMANT is pleased to announce that it has joined the ESG Data Convergence Project, a global collaborative effort supported by institutional investors with more than US$9 trillion in assets under management (AUM) that will create a critical mass of meaningful, performance based ESG data from private companies by converging on a standardized set of ESG metrics for private markets. Using standardized metrics will allow General Partners (GPs) and portfolio companies to benchmark their current position and generate progress towards ESG improvements, while enabling greater transparency and more comparable portfolio information for Limited Partners (LPs).
“UBC IMANT is relentlessly focused on executing our Responsible Investing Strategy, which includes leading and joining others to advance the ESG agenda,” says Dawn Jia, UBC IMANT’s President and CEO. “While progress is being made, our fund managers continue to be challenged in finding and providing the type of reliable, replicable ESG data we require to make informed investment decisions. An agreed upon set of standards, definitions and measurement criteria will go a long way in helping us and our peers.”
To date, over 100 leading GPs and LPs as well as more than 1,400 private portfolio companies have joined the project. For more on the ESG Data Convergence Project, visit https://ilpa.org/ilpa_esg_roadmap/esg_data_convergence_project/.
About UBC Investment Management Trust
UBC IMANT is the investment office responsible for managing the University of British Columbia’s Endowment and Working Capital funds and the assets of the UBC Staff Pension Plan. UBC IMANT implements our investment strategy through a “manager of managers” approach, seeking out and investing in funds operated by the world’s foremost money management professionals with environmental, social and governance considerations central to our decision-making process.