Founded in 2010, the 30% Club is a global movement of like-minded institutions and leaders across a variety of industries and sectors, united around a shared goal of voluntarily fostering improved gender balance on company boards and in senior management.
OMERS is among the Canadian investors that support the 30% Club’s work, and we share the belief that “diversity further contributes to better all-round board performance, and ultimately increased corporate performance for both companies and their shareholders.”
In 2017, OMERS joined other Canadian institutional investors in publishing a joint “30% Club Canadian Investor Group: Statement of Intent,” and committed itself to playing a proactive role and engaging with investee companies when diversity expectations fall short.
As the Statement of Intent reads:
As asset owners and asset managers, we have a fiduciary duty to our clients and beneficiaries. We are responsible for the stewardship of the investments we make on their behalf. Part of that responsibility includes conducting a thorough assessment of the boards and executive management teams of the companies in which we invest.
Gender diversity is a critical component of good corporate governance. It is well established that diverse boards and executive management teams are more likely to achieve better outcomes for investors by introducing a broader spectrum of perspectives, skills and experience. As members of the Canadian 30% Club Investor Group, we are committed to exercising our ownership rights to encourage increased representation of women on corporate boards and in executive management positions in Canada.