The Association for Member Nominated Trustees (AMNT) today announces the appointment of Leanne Clements as Red Line Voting Campaign Manager, effective from April 2017.

Janice Turner, Founding Co-chair of the AMNT commented: “Leanne brings a wealth of asset owner experience and responsible investment expertise to this role. Her background and strong bank of UK responsible investment contacts makes her well positioned to manage this important initiative and take it to the next level.”

Turner added: “Despite increasing requirements set by The Pensions Regulator for pension schemes to have meaningful environmental, social and governance policies, some trustees have been appalled at the reluctance of some in the investment chain to carry out their clients’ wishes. By putting additional resources in place, we can help overcome this reluctance.”

Leanne Clements added: “I was already aware of The AMNT through my previous roles in the asset owner space. I have been impressed with what they have achieved so far with the Red Line Voting initiative in empowering resource constrained pension schemes, better aligning trustees’ expectations of fund managers vis-a-vis ESG voting policies, and raising the overall bar in the stewardship arena. However, there is always more work to be done in this space and I very much look forward to the challenges of this role.”

Clements will support the adoption and implementation of Red Line Voting policies by working with the AMNT and its members, fund managers, policy makers and other important actors in the investment chain. She previously led the responsible investment strategies at three different UK pension schemes, and worked at a corporate governance and shareholder advisory consultancy, most notably conducting voting policy generation and executing voting instructions for UK pension schemes. Prior to her career in the UK, Clements was Environmental Consultant for an engineering firm in her native, Canada, conducting contaminated site investigations for financial clients.

- ENDS -

Notes to editors AMNT

The Association of Member Nominated Trustees (AMNT) is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, set up by and for member-nominated trustees, member-nominated directors and employee representatives, of UK based occupational pension schemes in the private and public sector. Set up in 2010 it now has nearly 700 members from pension schemes with collective assets totalling more than £650 billion.

The Association is dedicated to providing those Member Nominees (MNs) with support, which underpins their critical role in ensuring that their pension scheme is governed in the best interests of the scheme members in consultation with their sponsors.

The AMNT will enable MNTs to build their skills and knowledge, voice their opinions, share best practice, become part of a like-minded community and be better recognised for the good and important work they do.

Red Line Voting

The AMNT’s new approach to responsible investing, Red Line Voting1, enables pension scheme trustees to:

•   Play a proper stewardship role with regards to the companies in which they invest, including pension schemes investing via pooled funds
•   Meet their fiduciary duties in line with the recent guidance from The Pensions Regulator and The Law CommissionIt does this by allowing pension schemes to set environmental, social and governance (ESG) voting policies at“best practice”2 level.For all AMNT media enquiries please contact KBPR using the details below.kate@kbpr.agency – 07930 442 883 adam@kbpr.agency – 07444 407 138 helena@kbpr.agency - 07502 310 1731 http://redlinevoting.org/
  2 For more details, please refer to: http://redlinevoting.org/what-is-red-line-voting/