Voting Engagement
In Q4 2023, Epworth voted at 95% of the meetings it was eligible to vote at.
Epworth have a joint voting policy with members of the Church Investors Group.
Remuneration continues to be the most contested issue for us at company AGMs. Our voting policy states that remuneration structures should incentivise the generation of sustainable, long-term, shareholder value and reflect our values. We voted against 45% of remuneration votes in the quarter.
Director elections gave rise to the second largest quantity of against votes. Votes against directors can be triggered by a variety of issues including ethnic and gender diversity; climate responsiveness; and overcommitment among others. We voted against 20% of director elections in the quarter
Voting is carried out at all UK and global company meetings, in which Epworth invests, in line with a collaborative CIG voting policy. The voting template is implemented by the CIG’s service provider, ISS (Institutional Shareholder Services). A full voting report is available on request.
