NOT FOR U.S. INVESTORS
The funds mentioned on this website are not registered as investment companies in the United States under the U.S. Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the shares of such funds are not registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”), nor are they registered under any other act or regulation in the United States.. Consequently, the above-mentioned investment funds must not in any circumstances be offered or distributed: (i) in the United States of America, in any of its States or in any other political subdivision of the United States of America, or (ii) to or on behalf of or for the benefit of any United States Person (as defined in Regulation S of the U.S. Securities Act). Please refer to the applicable fund’s prospectus and offering document for more information.
This website has been created for informational purposes and is intended to be accessed or used only by investment professionals. Material and information provided herein is not intended for retail investors and/or distribution to the general public in any jurisdiction. The information provided should not be considered as investment advice, or as an offer or recommendation to buy or sell any particular security or investment.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Our voting policy is based on generally accepted standards of best practice in corporate governance including board compensation, executive remuneration, risk management, shareholder rights.
Long-term interests of shareholders are the paramount objective. We therefore do not always support the management of investee companies and may vote against management from time to time. To assist us in the exercising of proxy votes, Pictet Asset Management uses the services of third party specialists whose expertise and international experience allows us to vote at all relevant company meetings worldwide. Applicable voting guidelines can be found here:
In March 2019, we adapted our proxy voting guidelines for companies where the founder or a family is a major shareholder, i.e. controls more than 30% of the economic or voting rights. Such companies account for around 10% of our total holdings. For these companies, we apply a lower threshold for board independence to reflect the realities of their ownership structure. While typically we would require that a majority of board members be independent from management or reference shareholders, for family-controlled businesses we require that only 33% are independent (unless the requirement of the country where the company is listed is lower).
In February 2020, we adapted our proxy voting guidelines for Japanese companies with no female board members and we will vote “abstain” on male candidates to boards with no female directors. We believe that board diversity can lead to improved corporate governance and strategic oversight. It can also lead to greater innovation, better risk management and stronger connections with customers, employees and business partners. Therefore, we are keen to play our part in encouraging Japanese businesses in their progress towards more gender-balanced boards.
The following principles are used in defining the scope of accounts and securities eligible for proxy voting:
For portfolios delegated to third-party asset managers and external funds in which we invest on behalf of our client’s, we expect managers to exercise proxy voting per their own policy and report accordingly to relevant Pictet Asset Management entities.
Execution
Pictet Asset Management always reserves the right to deviate from third party voting recommendations on a case by case basis in order to act in the best interests of our clients. Such divergences may be initiated by Investment teams1 or by the ESG team and must be supported by written rationale.
In instances when consensus cannot be reached between the Investments teams and ESG team, the decision is escalated to relevant CIOs and, if necessary, the Head of Investments.
A summary of Pictet Asset Management’s proxy voting statistics is set out below.
In 2018 Pictet Asset Management voted at 3’136 general assembly meetings. We voted “Against” (“abstained” or “withhold”) to at least one resolution at 1’480 meetings and we were unable to vote at 267 meetings for technical reasons.
Source: ISS; Pictet Asset Management – December 2018
Out of 36'447 resolutions we voted against management on 3’469 items (9%) and supported management on 33’011 (91%) items.
Source: ISS; Pictet Asset Management – December 2018
We voted against management on resolutions that relate primarily to director nominations (44%), executive remuneration (24%), routine issues such as approval of accounts and auditors (15%), and other resolutions such as approval of equity issuance (13%).
Source: ISS; Pictet Asset Management – December 2018
We supported 571 shareholder resolutions, ie 62% out of 916 proposals.
Source: ISS; Pictet Asset Management – December 2018
The main categories of shareholder resolutions that we supported relate to director nominations (52%), routine business such as requests for an independent board chairman (12%), and other resolutions related to corporate governance (11%).
Source: ISS; Pictet Asset Management – December 2018
Source: ISS; Pictet Asset Management – December 2018
Important legal information
This marketing document is issued by Pictet Asset Management. It is neither directed to, nor intended for distribution or use by any person or entity who is a citizen or resident of, or domiciled or located in, any locality, state, country or jurisdiction where such distribution, publication, availability or use would be contrary to law or regulation. Only the latest version of the fund’s prospectus, the KIID (Key Investor Information Document), regulations, annual and semi-annual reports may be relied upon as the basis for investment decisions. These documents are available on assetmanagement.pictet.
This document is used for informational purposes only and does not constitute, on Pictet Asset Management part, an offer to buy or sell solicitation or investment advice. It has been established on the basis of data, projections, forecasts, anticipations and hypothesis which are subjective. Its analysis and conclusions are the expression of an opinion, based on available data at a specific date. The effective evolution of the economic variables and values of the financial markets could be significantly different from the indications communicated in this document.
Information, opinions and estimates contained in this document reflect a judgment at the original date of publication and are subject to change without notice. Pictet Asset Management has not taken any steps to ensure that the securities referred to in this document are suitable for any particular investor and this document is not to be relied upon in substitution for the exercise of independent judgment. Tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances of each investor and may be subject to change in the future. Before making any investment decision, investors are recommended to ascertain if this investment is suitable for them in light of their financial knowledge and experience, investment goals and financial situation, or to obtain specific advice from an industry professional.
The value and income of any of the securities or financial instruments mentioned in this document may fall as well as rise and, as a consequence, investors may receive back less than originally invested. Risk factors are listed in the fund’s prospectus and are not intended to be reproduced in full in this document.
Past performance is not a guarantee or a reliable indicator of future performance. Performance data does not include the commissions and fees charged at the time of subscribing for or redeeming shares. This marketing material is not intended to be a substitute for the fund’s full documentation or for any information which investors should obtain from their financial intermediaries acting in relation to their investment in the fund or funds mentioned in this document.
EU countries: the relevant entity is Pictet Asset Management (Europe) S.A., 15, avenue J. F. Kennedy, L-1855 Luxembourg
Switzerland: the relevant entity is Pictet Asset Management SA , 60 Route des Acacias – 1211 Geneva 73
Hong Kong: this material has not been reviewed by the Securities and Futures Commission or any other regulatory authority. The issuer of this material is Pictet Asset Management (Hong Kong) Limited.
Singapore: this material is issued by Pictet Asset Management (Singapore) Pte Ltd. This material is intended only for institutional and accredited investors and it has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
Pictet Asset Management Inc. (Pictet AM Inc) is responsible for effecting solicitation in North America to promote the portfolio management services of Pictet Asset Management Limited (Pictet AM Ltd) and Pictet Asset Management SA (Pictet AM SA).
In Canada Pictet AM Inc. is registered as Portfolio Manager authorised to conduct marketing activities on behalf of Pictet AM Ltd and Pictet AM SA. In the USA, Pictet AM Inc. is registered as an SEC Investment Adviser and its activities are conducted in full compliance with the SEC rules applicable to the marketing of affiliate entities as prescribed in the Adviser Act of 1940 ref. 17CFR275.206(4)-3.