09/09/2011
By Matt Ritchie
Dutch pension fund manager APG has published its updated corporate governance and voting policy, setting out its approach to responsible ownership and how this translates into practice.
Under the new voting policy APG expects the board to consider whether it is appropriate to include in its remuneration policy factors, other than financial ones, that can have an impact on long-term company value such as sustainability matters.
All criteria that are part of the remuneration policy must be measurable, relevant to the company and transparent. APG does not support targets linked to rankings in sustainability indexes.
Announcing the policy, head of sustainability and governance at APG Claudia Kruse said the updated document reflects the fact that APG exercises voting rights on behalf of its clients worldwide at approximately 4,000 companies every year.
“APG’s voting policy clearly recognises the need for companies to take account of stakeholder interests and sustainability issues, also at board level.”
An (English language) version of the policy can be accessed here (pdf)
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