A must-attend event for learning all there is to know about socially responsible investing
LÉVIS QC, June 14, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Desjardins Group, a leader in socially responsible investment (SRI), will be sponsoring the Canadian Responsible Investment Conference, opening on June 18 at the Marriott Château Champlain in Montreal.
The conference will offer a unique opportunity to share and learn about responsible investing and lift the veil on this investment market. Attendees to the event will have the opportunity to learn more about environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. They will also have the chance to meet with seasoned speakers and take part in substantive debates on this year's theme, SRI+20: The Future of Investing.
"Desjardins positioned itself very early on as a Canadian leader in SRI when it launched the Desjardins Environment Fund 22 years ago, and later its SocieTerra portfolios," explained Hélène Gagné, Director of Marketing for Wealth Management and Life and Health Insurance, Desjardins Group. "We also work hard to explain how SRI works, so it was a natural fit for us to support the Canadian Responsible Investment Conference, whose educational values we share."
SRI and shareholder engagement
Desjardins is very active in socially responsible investment and seeks to help as many people as possible to understand how SRI works. The various approaches to SRI all call on ESG principles in the selection and management of stocks and other investments. Apart from events like this conference, information sessions are regularly held in the caisse network and videos are posted on www.desjardins.com.
With regard to ESG principles, Desjardins exercises its voting rights as a shareholder to initiate dialogue with certain companies, especially when certain practices give rise to environmental, social or governance issues. "Dialogue is one of the strategies that make up what we call shareholder engagement. These are some of the technical terms and practices that attendees will have the opportunity to discover or understand more clearly during the conference," concluded Hélène Gagné.
About Desjardins Group
Desjardins Group www.desjardins.com is the leading cooperative financial group in Canada with assets of $196.4 billion. Drawing on the strength of its caisse network in Quebec and Ontario and its subsidiaries across Canada, it offers a full range of financial products and services to its 5.6 million members and clients. Desjardins specializes in Wealth Management and Life and Health Insurance, in Property and Casualty Insurance, in Personal Services, and in Business and Institutional Services. As one of the largest employers in the country and among Canada's Top 100 Employers for 2012™, Desjardins is backed by the skills of its 44,645 employees and the commitment of nearly 5,400 elected officers. A new education and cooperation program is now available to Desjardins members and the general public. For more information, visit www.desjardins.com/co-opme.
(for journalists only):
Caroline Phémius
Media Relations Advisor
Desjardins Group
514-281-7000 or 1-866-866-7000, ext.7646
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