We are active and responsible participants in financial markets. We are also enthusiastic advocates for progressive change as stewards of our clients’ investments. Engagement and voting have a dual purpose. First, to generate additional insights into company practices, which then feed into investment decisions. Secondly, stewardship enables us to influence positive improvements in investee companies, which we refer to as WHEB’s ‘Investor Contribution’ in our impact framework.

ENGAGEMENT CASE STUDIES


With an average holding period of 4-7 years for our investments, our view is inherently longer-term than investment industry averages. This means that we naturally act as owners of investee companies, rather than short-term traders.

Our engagement activity with portfolio companies is mostly proactive, based on strategic objectives and is often carried out over several years. Where necessary, we use escalation tactics or collaborate with other investors to achieve our desired results.

AstraZeneca

View Q1 2024 Engagement case study: Executive pay...

Infineon Technologies

View Q1 2024 Engagement case study: Gender diversity...

First Solar

View Q1 2024 Engagement case study: Net Zero Carbon and GHG emissions...

MSA Safety

View MSA Safety - 2023Q4 Case study...

Ecolab

View Q4 2023 Engagement case study: Investor Initiative on Hazardous Chemicals...

TE Connectivity – NZC

View Q4 2023 Engagement case study: Net cero carbon commitments via the IIGCC NZEI...

CSL

View Q3 2023 Engagement case study: Ethical sourcing...

Smurfit Kappa

View Q3 2023 Engagement case study: Biodiversity...

Xylem

View Q3 2023 Engagement case study: Gender diversity...

Vestas

View Q2 2023 engagement case study - biodiversity...

TE Connectivity – net zero carbon targets

View Q2 2023 Engagement case study - Net zero carbon targets...

HelloFresh

View Q1 2023 Engagement case study: Animal Labour (Cont. from Q4 2022)...

SolarEdge

Hazardous chemicals at SolarEdge

View Q1 2023 Engagement case study...

Steris

product impact

View Q1 2023 Engagement case study...

WHEB’s Public Policy Engagement

View 2022...

MSA Safety

Net Zero Carbon

View Q4 2022 Engagement case study...

Keyence

product impact

View Q4 2022 Engagement Case Study...

Vestas & Xylem

reproductive rights at Vestas & Xylem

View 2022 Engagement case study...

Power Integrations

Engaging power integrations on tax

View 2022 Engagement case study...

Danaher

voting a shareholder resolution

View 2022 Engagement case study...

Centene

engaging Centene on governance

View 2022 Engagement case study...

Daikin

Net Zero Carbon and CA100+

View 2022 Engagement case study...

Ecolab & Linde

Engaging portfolio companies on chemicals

View Q2 2022 Engagement case study...

Vestas

Engaging Vestas on biodiversity

View Q1 2022 Engagement Case Study...

A.O. Smith

View 2021 Engagement Case Study...

First Solar

View 2021 Engagement Case Study...

China Everbright

View 2021 Engagement Case Study...

Intertek Group Plc

Company net-zero carbon targets

View 2020 Engagement Case Study...

Hikma Pharmaceuticals

Company response to the COVID-19 pandemic

View 2020 Engagement Case Study...

Hella Gmbh

View 2020 Engagement Case Study...

Horiba Ltd.

Board-level gender diversity

View 2019 Engagement Case Study...

TPI Composites

ESG Disclosure

View 2019 Engagement Case Study...

Premier Inc.

Governance and sustainability

View 2019 Engagement Case Study...

Johnson Controls

CEO Remuneration and Board Independence

View 2018 Engagement Case Study...

MSA Safety

Governance - Independent Board Directors

View 2018 Engagement Case Study...

Smurfit Kappa

Board-level gender diversity

View 2018 Engagement Case Study...

Lenzing

Local pollution around company’s factory in West Java

View 2017 Engagement Case Study...

Orpea

Board Director independence

View 2017 Engagement Case Study...

Voting

We view the voting rights that we have as equity holders as an opportunity to exercise a progressive influence on company governance and strategy. WHEB’s policy is to exercise our rights at 100% of company meetings where we are eligible to vote.

Our voting is guided by our policies which are intended to promote long-term value for shareholders and mitigate risk at portfolio companies.

We publish full voting records which detail every shareholder resolution on which WHEB is eligible to vote in the quarter, how we have voted and a rationale for our decision to vote in this way.

View voting records

Stewardship reports & policies

These reports set out the policies and processes that direct WHEB’s stewardship activities. It also documents the extensive work that we’ve done with portfolio companies over the year to encourage them to improve their ESG and impact practices.

We use the full suite of tools at our disposal including voting at company meetings, engaging bilaterally with companies, escalating engagement to work collaboratively with others who share our objectives and, occasionally divesting and publicly reporting our reasons for doing so.

The reports provide:

  • summary data of the work undertaken in the previous year
  • detailed case studies that illustrate our decision-making processes
  • the impact that we can have via our ‘investor contribution’
View policiesView latest report