TOBAM received the jury’s Special Award during the 5th edition of the [profit for Non Profit] Awards, organised by Axylia, the independent advisory firm specialised in socially responsible and altruistic solutions.

TOBAM believes that it is in the fundamental interest of its clients to adopt a sustainable approach, sustainability being a major component of economic development.

The Special Award recognises TOBAM’s innovative approach in terms of sustainable development both in portfolio management and corporate practice.

A responsible approach to portfolio management

• Since 2007, TOBAM has applied a SRI filter (Socially Responsible Investment) to all of its open funds, excluding companies considered to have broken major ethical rules by the Norwegian Central Bank and the Swedish public AP Fonden. The engagement approach of these institutions also respects TOBAM’s belief in the need to establish constructive dialogue with economic players.

Sustainability as pillar of TOBAM’s corporate policies

At the corporate level, TOBAM applies a sustainable approach with all stakeholders: Clients, Employees, Shareholders and the Environment at large.

• TOBAM has, from the start, been organised to remain as close as possible to the needs of clients, going above and beyond requirements in terms of transparency, clear pricing policy and reporting.
• All TOBAM employees are shareholders in the company, enabling them to participate in the success of which they actively contribute to every day and to better inform them of the company’s development and strategy.
• From the investment philosophy to the management process or for CSR engagements, full transparency has allowed TOBAM to build trustworthy relations with its shareholders: employees and institutionals.
• Supporting long term growth brings together fund management and societal objectives and as such TOBAM is a signatory of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment since 2010. For example, concerning the environment, TOBAM has instituted a carbon compensation program since 2011, compensating 125% of its carbon emissions every year.
• The launch of the Anti-Benchmark Emerging Markets Equity strategy in 2011 led TOBAM to consider its investments in emerging countries and the human rights track record of certain governments. Given that fundamental rights are the principal source of creativity, innovation, fight against corruption and economic growth, TOBAM supports Amnesty International and donates a share of the profits generated from the TOBAM Anti-Benchmark Emerging Markets Equity fund.

Yves Choueifaty, President of TOBAM, declared:

Our clients have a long term approach to investing and our sustainable approach addresses these concerns. In emerging markets in particular, it seemed essential to us to reconcile our investments in countries with questionable human rights track records. In our view, supporting Amnesty International is fundamentally in the economic interest of our clients. Freedom of opinion, speech, association, and entrepreneurship is mandatory to economic development.