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Brian Minns, UPP’s Senior Managing Director of Responsible Investing, underscores how responsible investing has shaped UPP’s approach to building a resilient, future-ready pension fund.
On the Future of Finance podcast, host Georges Dyer spoke with Brian Minns about how responsible investing has supported UPP’s approach to building a future-ready pension fund.
With the Plan’s long-term stability, systems-level investing, and members’ interests at the heart of the conversation, Minns highlighted how responsible investing has been a key part of the Plan’s strategy from the beginning, and how it continues to influence the way the Plan invests for the future.
Weathering risks and capturing opportunities
At its core, responsible investing is about effectively navigating risks and capitalizing on opportunities tied to certain factors including financially material climate, social and governance issues.
“Every responsible investing decision is considered through the lens of how we can take care of our investments and ensure the best possible opportunity to pay pensions in the future,” said Minns. “It is very much through a fiduciary lens of what’s in the best interests of the plan members.”
By embedding these considerations across its investment decisions, UPP is positioning itself to respond to a rapidly evolving global economy and deliver long-term value for UPP members.
Ongoing oversight and engagement
At UPP, responsible investing is hands on and continuous. Before any capital is deployed, the Responsible Investing (RI) team works alongside asset class teams to evaluate factors that could materially impact returns – from climate transition or extreme weather risks to governance standards and labour relations. The teams also look for
Once investments are made, the RI team maintains an active role, working with partners to ensure financially material environmental, social, and governance factors are addressed throughout the investment’s lifecycle.
“We’re in constant dialogue with the investment partners in our portfolio,” he noted. “The vast majority now have between two to four responsible investing milestones where we’ve communicated to them that we see an opportunity for improvement, and we keep track of this over time.”
Investing through complexity
Acknowledging that there are challenges ahead, from climate tipping points to political uncertainty around global climate commitments, Minns emphasized that responsible investing and UPP’s long-term investment approach are designed to manage long-term risks and opportunities, including those related to climate.
As Minns put it, “We [at UPP] invest in decades, not quarters” – a long-term perspective that gives the Plan the ability to invest through complexity and align with member interests.
Listen to the full conversation
For more insights, listen to the full conversation with Brian Minns on The Future of Finance Podcast
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