In our fifth annual Engagement and Policy Advocacy report, we summarise our activities in 2021 and outline our focus areas looking ahead.

Realising change often demands patience and persistence. Impax is committed to helping companies and policymakers navigate the transition to a more sustainable economy and, in so doing, mitigate risks and enhance opportunities for our clients. Engagement and policy advocacy are essential parts of our toolkit.

In this year’s report, we summarise the outcomes of our engagements with companies in 2021 and highlight the core issues that we continued to focus on, namely:

  • Climate change
  • Environmental issues such as pollution and resource depletion
  • Human capital issues such as diversity, equity, inclusion, environmental justice, and health and safety
  • Corporate governance

We also outline shareholder proposals that we filed or co-filed in 2021 as well as the outcomes of our proxy voting activities. Interviews discuss which areas we will continue to focus on in our long-term engagement work and why human capital has risen to the top of the engagement agenda.

* Positive outcomes are classified as “progress achieved” or “milestone achieved” as assessed by Impax against engagement objectives.

This year’s report also includes an enhanced focus on Impax’s policy advocacy work, through which we aim to support policymakers in the creation of enabling environments which will accelerate the transition to a sustainable economy.

In 2021, our policy advocacy work continued to focus on financing net zero, greening the financial
system, and nature and biodiversity loss. In the run-up to the COP26 climate summit, Impax actively contributed to commitments and calls to action that were announced in Glasgow, including the emergence of coalitions committing to ambitious action in key areas.

There is undoubtedly a growing sense of urgency towards addressing the environmental and social challenges facing the planet and its people. We continue to work to help address these challenges and improve our pricing of risks through engagement and policy advocacy activities, which we are delighted to report on here.

Lisa Beauvilain

Global Head of Sustainability & Stewardship

Lisa heads the global sustainability and stewardship team at Impax. She is responsible for the oversight and development of sustainability research and methodologies, including the Impax Sustainability Lens and the firm’s proprietary ESG analysis, as well as overseeing Impax’s stewardship work. She is the Chair of Impax’s ESG and Sustainability Lens committees and Co-Heads the firm’s impact investment work.

Lisa joined Impax in 2010. She started working in the financial industry in 1999 and previously worked as an executive director in the Investment Management Division of Goldman Sachs in London.

She is actively participating in industry working groups and advisory councils furthering sustainable practices within corporate governance, climate, diversity and ESG standard setting in several external industry organisations.

Lisa has an MSc in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics as well as an MSc in Finance from the Hanken School of Economics, Finland.

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Julie Gorte, Ph.D.

Senior Vice President for Sustainable Investing

Julie is a leading figure in Impax Asset Management’s sustainable investing work, overseeing the firm’s ESG-related research on prospective and current investments, and the financial implications of integrating sustainability into investment decision-making and engagement. She also tracks and develops insights into the impact of public policy on investment. Julie is also a member of our Gender Analytics team.

Prior to joining the firm, Julie headed up the social investment strategy at Calvert. She has held senior roles at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, The Wilderness Society, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Julie serves on the boards of the Endangered Species Coalition, E4theFuture, Clean Production Action, the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment (US SIF) and is the board chair of the Sustainable Investments Institute. She holds a Ph.D. and a Master’s degree in resource economics from Michigan State University and has a Bachelor’s degree in forest management from Northern Arizona University.

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Chris Dodwell

Head of Policy & Advocacy

Chris is a climate change and environmental policy expert with over 25 years’ public and private sector experience. He is responsible for managing Impax’s engagement in the development of policy issues and providing insights on policy to the firm’s investment teams.

Before joining Impax in 2019 Chris worked at Ricardo Energy & Environment for eight years as Director of Climate Change, Clean Growth and Strategic Partnerships. Here he was responsible for overseeing key projects in the aforementioned areas as well as building relationships with clients in the public and financial services sectors. Prior to this he worked for 10 years at the heart of the UK Government’s work on climate change, including leading the UK’s implementation of the EU Emissions Trading System and heading the UK Delegation to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Chris began his career as a solicitor at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer where he worked on a variety of civil, criminal and public law litigation relating to the impact of pollution on the environment and human health.

Chris graduated with a BA Hons in Classics from the University of Cambridge in 1990 and later went on to achieve a Master of Laws in Environmental Law from University College London in 2002.

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