GOSS provides independent voting, corporate engagement and other advisory services on environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) matters for long-term public equity owners and fund managers.
GOSS has offices in the UK, US and Japan, and representative presence in Singapore and Australia. We believe that constructive engagement with companies is best achieved by experienced local professionals who are based in their home regions and can follow closely the market-specific factors that affect companies and how they are governed. The experts in our international offices bring unique perspective and skills to our engagements.
Voting Services
The GOSS voting service currently covers approximately 2,000 companies in 25 countries comprising the developed markets of Europe, the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Peru and Russia. Our voting policies are customized to respond to particular market realities and specific client needs.
GOSS also acts as an independent fiduciary for asset managers. We will provide voting recommendations for institutional investors who are conflicted or prohibited from voting certain holdings in their portfolio.
Engagement Services
GOSS engages with companies on structural and strategic issues. We will work with clients to develop an engagement plan, including focus issues, target companies, strategies, and goals. We seek to achieve measurable results that will have a positive impact on long-term shareholder value.
GOSS clients are interested not only in exercising their ownership rights but in shaping the framework in which long-term share owners and the companies in which they invest operate. Accordingly, we advise clients on policy and regulatory issues and work with them on responses to consultations.
GO is a firm believer in working with others who share common goals. We participate in various groups with the aim of improving share owner rights.
GO became a signatory to the United Nations Principles of Responsible Investment (UN PRI) in 2006.
We are proud to be a UN PRI signatory as we believe that sustainable financial returns can only be generated if environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues are incorporated by institutional investors into their investment decision-making and ownership practices.
Further information on the work carried out by the United Nations in this field can be found at http://www.unpri.org
Other key networks include:
Asian Corporate Governance Association
Association Française de Gouvernement d’Enterprise (France)
Council of Institutional Investors (US)
European Corporate Governance Institute
Global Investors Governance Network
International Corporate Governance Network
Investor Responsibility Research Center
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)
National Association of Pension Funds (UK)
Pacific Pension Institute (US)