14 May 2019
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Mirova, sustainable investment subsidiary of Natixis Investment Managers, has now launched its Women Leaders Equity fund for distribution in Switzerland.
The fund invests globally in companies that actively engage in gender equality within their area of responsibility.
The unequal treatment of the sexes in working life is regarded as one of the central obstacles to the development of efficient societies worldwide. Equality between men and women in business is therefore one of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Mirova Thematic fund, managed by Soliane Varlet, supports this goal by constructing a gender-friendly equity portfolio of around 250 stocks.
The quantitative selection process identifies, among other things, the percentage of women in management positions and the ratio of women in management positions to the total number of female workers. The qualitative analysis also looks at how seriously a company actually takes on promoting female employees. Criteria here are, for example, the existence of special support programs, salary transparency or the provision of measures to alleviate the classical double burden of women as mothers and employees.
From an economic perspective, the fund is based on the realisation that the active implementation of gender equality can also bring economic benefits. "Both private investors and institutional investors are increasingly looking for investment solutions that can have a targeted social or environmental impact, taking into account clear economic criteria," said Philippe Zaouati, CEO of Mirova. "Strategies that focus on gender equality fit perfectly into this pattern of demands."
