Apex and ISS Announce ESG Reporting

New York & Rockville, Md. January 23, 2019 — Apex Group Ltd. (“Apex”), and Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (“ISS”), today announced a partnership to deliver cutting-edge Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) reporting to investment managers.

Apex, the world’s fifth largest fund administrator, and ISS, the leading provider of end-to-end governance and responsible investment solutions have joined forces to deliver ESG reporting capabilities to asset managers worldwide.

Under terms of the partnership, ISS ESG, the responsible investment arm of ISS, will partner with Apex to deliver ESG reporting capabilities to its global client base. The reports will allow Apex clients to measure the ESG performance of each of their portfolio companies through accessing ISS’ Governance QualityScores, company carbon footprints, and conduct norms-based screening through a simple and intuitive system.

As one of the world’s leading global providers for responsible investing and corporate governance solutions to asset managers, ISS has 19 offices worldwide and approximately 2,000 institutional clients. Apex’s partnership with ISS demonstrates its commitment to enhancing its service portfolio and staying ahead of the competition as the first fund administrator to launch this kind of offering to the market.

Peter Hughes, Founder & CEO, Apex Group, said:

“The world’s largest asset managers are shifting their focus towards ESG investing and many are launching ESG dedicated products and also measuring ESG sensitivity across their broader portfolios and businesses. ISS is a leader in this space and our partnership enhances the Apex product portfolio through delivering innovative solutions to our clients as they change and evolve. The asset management space has made great strides towards delivering transparency to both allocators and regulators over the past couple of years, and the rise of ESG as a mainstream strategy is testament to how far the industry has come. We are committed to supporting our clients as they navigate the changing investment landscape and continually look to lead the way as a service provider through leveraging our global position and institutional infrastructure to continually bring competitive value to our clients.”

Marija Kramer, Managing Director of ISS ESG, said:

“We are pleased to partner with Apex and help their clients develop integrated responsible investing policies and practices into their investment decisions. Both Apex and ISS have flexible global operating models and combined we are able to offer this solution to Apex’s global client base seamlessly and through local delivery.”

–  ENDS –

Click Here to read more about Apex ESG Reporting Services.

Contacts:

Apex Group Ltd., Rosie Guest, Global Marketing Director rosie@apexfunds.co.uk

About Apex Group

The Apex Group, established in Bermuda in 2003, is one of the world’s largest fund solutions providers with $560bn in AuA and over 40+ offices worldwide. The Group has continually improved and evolved its product suite and offers a full service solution to its clients: from fund administration, middle office, custody and depositary to corporate services and fund platforms. Apex now administers the investments of some of the largest funds and institutional investors in the world. www.theapexgroup.com

About ISS ESG

ISS ESG is the responsible investment arm of Institutional Shareholder Services Inc., the world’s leading provider of environmental, social, and governance solutions for asset owners, asset managers, hedge funds, and asset servicing providers. Under the ISS ESG umbrella are three discrete units that draw on deep historical and industry expertise, including: ISS-ethix, which enables investors to develop and integrate responsible investing policies and practices, engage on responsible investment issues, and monitor portfolio company practices through screening solutions; ISS-climate, which provides data, analytics and advisory services to help financial market participants understand, measure, and act on climate-related risks across all asset classes; and ISS-oekom, which provides corporate and country ESG research and ratings and enables its clients to identify material social and environmental risks and opportunities including through advisory services. ISS ESG clients rely on the expertise of all three to help them integrate responsible investing policies and practices into their strategy and shareholder voting decisions. For more information, visit issgovernance.com/esg.