"Responsible Investment" thematic conference

Responsible investment, a core initiative for AXA

Sylvain Vanston, AXA Group ESG Integration Manager, hosting a conference on responsible investment for AXA’s individual shareholders

AXA's shareholder relations team completed its cycle of thematic conferences for 2016 with a presentation on Responsible Investment (RI).

Sylvain Vanston, in charge of integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria in the AXA Group’s processes, explained how AXA has been able to better understand risks and capitalize on opportunities for growth by incorporating ESG considerations into investment processes and ownership practices.

AXA's responsible investment policy makes it possible to clearly define corporate governance practices and better structure investments in the most sensitive sectors in terms of ethics, the environment and human rights.

AXA is the world’s leading insurer – and ranked 12th overall all sectors combined – based on the proportion of its capital held by “responsible” investors (2.7% of AXA’s capital).

In the early 2000s, AXA IM created its first socially responsible investment (SRI) funds. A number of initiatives have followed since then, from responsible investment funds to our divestment from companies that are involved in activities such as coal, tobacco, controversial weapons or palm oil, as well as our pledge to triple our “green” investments in our general account assets to reach 3 billion euros by 2020. All these concrete achievements are appreciated by long-term investors, who encourage the Group, each day, to sustainably transform its business and innovate.

“We firmly believe that integrating certain societal issues within our investment choices makes the AXA Group not only a better informed investor, but also a better managed business over the long term. Divestment from certain sensitive sectors is a powerful tool, but it must remain exceptional”, concluded Sylvain Vanston.

Learn more about AXA’s responsible investment policy.

Event reserved exclusively to Shareholders and depending on the available slots.