What is Responsible Investing?

At Star Venusa Holdings, we define responsible investing (RI) as an investment process that incorporates environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into its approach. RI enables clients to align their investments with global megatrends that are changing the investment landscape. Issues such as increasing regulation, the growing need for risk mitigation and a heightened social conscience can be more effectively addressed by integrating ESG factors into the investment process.

Why is Responsible Investment Important?

ESG can allow firms to foster a meaningful change in the global economy, and in the communities in which we live and work. We believe that ESG analysis leads to more effective investment solutions that address global challenges and create sustainable value for our clients.

The integration of ESG factors is used to enhance traditional financial analysis by identifying potential risks and opportunities beyond technical valuations, providing data on issues such as potential reputational risk or identifying firms which are adapting to meet new market challenges. It is important to note that the main objective of ESG integration remains financial performance.

Our Approach to Responsible Investment

We offer a bespoke, discretionary service to the majority of our clients through investment managers, financial planners, or a combination of the two. Therefore, our responsible investment approach will be tailored to the individual needs and objectives of the client.

GOVERNANCE

We are always working to maintain sound governance practices to ensure ongoing investor confidence. This involves a continual review of how evolving legislation, guidelines and best practices should be reflected in our approach. For example, we have a zero-tolerance approach to bribery, including facilitation payments, and all Star Venusa Holdings employees are mandated to complete an in-depth anti-bribery and corruption (ABC) training seminar annually. Star Venusa Holdings maintains an ethics hotline to report suspected unethical, illegal or unsafe behavior. Our reporting hotline is managed by an independent third party and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We also require all portfolio companies in which we have a controlling interest to adopt an ABC policy that is equally stringent to Star Venusa Holdings’s, which entails that portfolio companies install an ethics hotline within six months of acquisition.

HEALTH AND SAFETY IN OUR PORTFOLIO COMPANIES

Employee health and safety is a top priority at Star Venusa Holdings. We view health and safety as an integral part of the management of our business and therefore consider it a line responsibility best managed by portfolio companies. We have established a safety steering committee, which includes the CEOs and COOs of each business group, to promote common values and a strong health and safety culture, share best practices and monitor serious safety incidents. In the event that a serious incident does occur, Star Venusa Holdings conducts an in-depth investigation to determine root causes and formulate remediation actions.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Embedded in our culture is a commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion across our organization. This begins at recruitment, continues in leadership training programs and is woven into our policies and procedures. As a global firm, we know that the best ideas come from having people from different backgrounds, perspectives, experiences and skills across all businesses, levels of seniority and offices. Training programs set clear expectations for our leaders in terms of their role in helping all team members achieve their potential. The training emphasizes building trust with their teams, becoming aware of unconscious biases and provides guidance on how to add rigor to decision-making especially in recruiting, performance feedback and promotion, with the goal of creating a more diverse and inclusive environment. Our internal groups and networks, including a global Star Venusa Holdings Women’s Advisory Committee and a Diversity Advisory Committee, actively advise management on how to make our Firm more welcoming to people from diverse backgrounds.