Responsible Investing & Social Responsibility

Plato signed the UNPRI in 2011 after completing significant work in investigating the integration of ESG scores into investment processes in Australia. Plato continues to source new and updated ESG data in order to develop better understanding of the impact of ESG and sustainability issues upon risks and returns in our investment strategies. Plato has also signed up to receive governance issue notifications via the UNPRI clearing house.
To find out more about the UNPRI, please visit their website.

2020 Assessment Report Rating Summary:

• Strategy & Governance: A+
• Listed Equity: Incorporation: A
• Listed Equity: Active Ownership: A

Plato is also a member of the Climate Action 100+ group, an investor-led initiative to ensure the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters take necessary action on climate change. To find out more about Climate Action 100+, please visit their website.

Plato has become a signatory to the Montreal Carbon Pledge, and to this effect has contracted with service providers to provide data to enable Plato to measure and monitor the carbon intensity of our portfolios. For clients who want to lower the carbon intensity of their investment portfolios, Plato can provide lower carbon intensity portfolios than standard market benchmark portfolios. Our research shows that one can considerably reduce the carbon intensity of enhanced index portfolios without significantly impacting other broad portfolio characteristics. This research is available on request.

Montreal Pledge: Plato’s aggregate Carbon Footprint (as measured by MSCI) is 11.8% lower than the exposure of our ASX200/300 benchmarks as at the end of December 2020.

In addition, our aggregate portfolio carbon intensity (Total CO2 emissions divided by revenue) is 11.6% lower than the benchmark index.

Plato monitor our CO2 exposures continuously and have capabilities to target exposure levels for our clients that wish to have a CO2 reduced investment strategy that also delivers on performance objectives.

Plato is a founding member of ESG Research Australia, which aims to encourage the development and provision of ESG research on listed companies by brokers within Australia.
To find out more about ESG Research Australian, please visit their website.

Plato actively excludes investing in the tobacco industry and is a signatory of the Tobacco-Free Finance Pledge. The pledge encourages tobacco-free finance policies as a fundamental step to sustainability with the ultimate aim of bringing an end to the world’s greatest cause of preventable death.

Dr Bronwyn King AO, Founder and CEO at Tobacco Free Portfolios states: “By becoming a Signatory, Plato Investment Management has demonstrated leadership amongst asset managers, who are increasingly striving to align portfolios with positive impacts on people and the planet.”

Find out more about the The Tobacco-Free Finance Pledge here.

Plato actively votes proxies and engages with companies on significant issues such as Woodside’s aborted selective share buyback (paper available on request).

For more details on Plato’s proxy voting, designed to act in the best interest of its clients as shareholders, please read Plato’s Proxy Voting Policy.

• Assessing executive remuneration: Does performance Pay? (2011)
• Implementing ESG tilts in an Australian equity portfolio (2011) paper available on request
• Implementing Carbon reduction in an Australian equity portfolio (2015) paper available on request
• Carbon reduction in Australian Equity Portfolios (2020)
• Evidence of climate transition policies on stock performance (2021)
• Plato’s ESG Policy

Plato proudly supports women in finance scholarships across several leading city and regionally based universities.

With the aim of encouraging more women to join the financial services industry, Plato sponsors three scholarships each year for women studying finance and also offers internships to these scholarship winners.

Plato takes pride in ensuring graduates undertake real world work experience from day one, with exposure to highly qualified staff members to maximise their potential and career development.

Pictured: (Left) 2020 winner Phoebe Little in Brisbane with Dr Don Hamson. (Right) 2019 scholarship winner Victora Ng in Sydney with Dr Don Hamson and Dr Peter Gardner.

University of Queensland Bachelor of Commerce student, Victoria Ng shares her experience of working with the Plato team during January, 2021.

Read the interview.

The Australian National University (ANU) cover the story of Stephanie Li, the inaugural recipient of The Plato Women in Finance Scholarship.

Read the article.

• Alizeh Zaidi, University of Technology (UTS), 2021
• Phoebe Little, University of Queensland (UQ), 2020
• Victoria Ng, University of Queensland (UQ), 2019
• Stephanie Li, The Australian National University (ANU), 2019