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Responsible Investment Association.

Category: Press

A Major Tipping Point for RI? (Investment Executive)

January 15, 2017

As Canadians strive to align their investments with their environmental and social values, asset-management firms are likely to ramp up their focus on responsible investing (RI) in the year ahead to meet clients’ evolving needs.

“We’re seeing a growing product landscape for RI,” says Dustyn Lanz, CEO of the Responsible Investment Association (RIA) in Toronto. “In a decade or so, I think we’re going to look back to today as a major tipping point for RI in Canada.”

Interest in RI has risen sharply in recent years. In fact, assets under management (AUM) in RI increased by 50% to $1.5 trillion in 2015 from $1 trillion in 2013, according to the RIA’s 2016 Canada RI Trends Report.

Read the full article.

RIA Names Dustyn Lanz as New CEO (Investment Executive)

October 17, 2017

The Responsible Investment Association (RIA) has appointed Dustyn Lanz, its chief operating officer (COO), as new CEO effective Jan. 1, 2018. He succeeds current CEO, Deb Abbey, who will retire following a five-year tenure in the role.

Lanz has worked with the RIA since 2013 and has played a central role in growing its membership base and strengthening the RIA’s brand and communications initiatives over the past four years, the association reports in a news release.

“We are very pleased to appoint Dustyn as the next CEO of the RIA,” says Jason Milne, chairman of the RIA’s board of directors and vice president, corporate governance and responsible investment, with RBC Global Asset Management, in a statement. “Dustyn’s industry expertise, market understanding and passion for responsible investment will build on the success that Deb has helped the RIA to achieve. Deb has done an absolutely incredible job of leading this organization since 2013, and we wish her the very best in retirement.”

Read the full article.

Taking ESG Reporting to the Next Level – Benefits Canada

October 10, 2017

As pension plans grapple with what to do about environmental, social and governance factors, read how Quebec-based fund Bâtirente offers some guidance on the options available, with insight from RIA COO Dustyn Lanz on the benefits of responsible investment for institutional investors.

Read the full article.

RIA COO Dustyn Lanz On How Talking About Responsible Investment Pays Off (Investment Executive)

October 1, 2017
By Dustyn Lanz

Investment professionals have little to lose and a lot to gain by having a conversation with their clients about responsible investing (RI). In fact, surveys conducted in Canada and around the world have consistently found that investors are interested in putting their money to work in a socially and environmentally responsible way. As a result, a growing number of financial advisors and portfolio managers across the country are seeing this in their practices and taking steps to make RI a core part of their business.

“Most clients like to know their options, so they see it as positive when I raise the idea of RI,” says Jackie Ramler, portfolio manager in Barrie, Ont., with Executive Wealth Advisors, which operates under the banner of Toronto-based Raymond James Ltd. Specifically, she notes that millennials and educated retirees — most of whom are women — are the main groups of clients who ask her about RI. “This plays out exactly as the research has suggested.”

Read the full article.

RIA CEO Deb Abbey on Why the Glass Ceiling Needs More Cracks (Women in Business Magazine)

September 12, 2017
By: Deb Abbey

You’ve probably heard a lot about those cracks in the glass ceiling. Most of us assume that women are well represented on boards and in senior management in corporate Canada. Turns out we’ll need a lot more cracks if we want to break through any time soon.

Despite the growing body of evidence that gender diversity in the boardroom leads to stronger financial performance, Canadian women hold only 12% of corporate board seats in Canada. And nearly half of Canadian corporate boards don’t have any female representation at all.

There are a number of reasons why companies with diverse leadership are linked to stronger financial performance. Research has shown that having more women on boards and in senior management leads to a greater capacity for creativity and innovation, employee productivity, commitment, satisfaction and a focus on customer needs. These are all drivers of financial performance.

A study by the Peterson Institute for International Economics and EY shows that companies with at least 30% of women in leadership roles could increase profit margins by 15% compared to those with lower levels of diversity. That’s a big number and investors are paying attention.

A survey published by the Responsible Investment Association and sponsored by OceanRock Investments Inc., looked at investor perspectives on gender pay equity and women on boards. 82% of investors said that they believe that women should be better represented on boards and 73% said that they disapprove of companies with zero or very few women on their boards.

When asked about the gender pay gap, 92% of investors said that women and men should receive equal pay for equal work and 76% said companies should be required to disclose how much they pay women compared with men. More than half of Canadian investors would be willing to divest of a company that does not pay men and women equally for equal work while another 25% would consider doing so.

Read the full article.

Responsible Investing On The Rise (FinancialLiteracy.ca)

September 7, 2017

By: Media Planet

The RIA’s Chief Operations Officer, Dustyn Lanz, discusses the rise of Responsible Investing in Canada including what it means to invest responsibly, why these types of investment options are growing so rapidly, and how investors of all types can get started on building a responsible portfolio.

Read the full article here.

The Gender Gap: Canadians Want to Put Their Money in Companies That Pay Equally (CBC News)

June 12, 2017
By: Jacqueline Hansen

Investors seem to agree and they also want equal pay for both sexes. In a recent online survey, the Responsible Investment Association asked Canadian investors if they believe men and women should receive equal pay for equal work — 92 per cent agreed.

A majority, 55 per cent, of the respondents said they’d be willing to put their money where their mouth is and sell their stakes in any company that doesn’t pay people equally for the same work.

It may be the next evolution of responsible investing, like choosing green technology companies over so-called sin stocks, like tobacco companies. But investing in firms that pay employees equally isn’t easy.

“Canadian companies largely do not report on gender pay statistics, so it’s difficult, if not impossible, to tell if there are any leaders on pay equity,” Dustyn Lanz, chief operating officer of the Responsible Investment Association, said.

Read the full article here.

Canadians Want Guidance on Responsible Investing, Study Finds (Wealth Professional)

June 2, 2017
By: Leo Almazora

The report from the Responsible Investment Association (RIA), which surveyed 1,084 Canadians and was sponsored by OceanRock Investments, found 77% of respondents interested in investments that incorporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. However, 73% know very little or nothing about them, which results in a so-called “RI awareness gap.”

“A strong majority of investors told us that they are more likely to choose responsible investments if their advisor suggests suitable options or if their financial institution, credit union or online brokerage informed them about responsible investments,” said Deb Abbey, CEO of the RIA.

Read the full article here.

Canadians want guidance on responsible investing, study finds (Wealth Professional)

June 2, 2017
By: Leo Almazora

The report from the Responsible Investment Association (RIA), which surveyed 1,084 Canadians and was sponsored by OceanRock Investments, found 77% of respondents interested in investments that incorporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. However, 73% know very little or nothing about them, which results in a so-called “RI awareness gap.”

“A strong majority of investors told us that they are more likely to choose responsible investments if their advisor suggests suitable options or if their financial institution, credit union or online brokerage informed them about responsible investments,” said Deb Abbey, CEO of the RIA.

Read the full article here.

Wide Gap Exists Between Investors’ Interest and Knowledge in Responsible Investing (Investment Executive)

June 1, 2017
By: Jade Hemeon

Investors would be more inclined to choose responsible investments if their financial advisors suggested suitable products.

The vast majority of Canadian investors are interested in responsible investing (RI), but most know little or nothing about it, according to a new report from the Responsible Investment Association (RIA).

The 2017 RIA Investor Opinion Survey, sponsored by Vancouver-based OceanRock Investments Inc., found that even though 77% of investors are interested in RI, a significant 73% have little or no knowledge of what it is. Only 5% of survey participants said they had no interest at all in RI.

The results highlight a huge “RI awareness gap,” the report says, and an opportunity for financial advisors to raise the conversation with clients and steer them toward suitable RI investments.

Read the full article here.

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