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FEARLESS


PEOPLE
AND
PLANET
AT
THE
HEART
OF
STEWARDSHIP

About

PIRC protects and enhances the long-term returns of major investors by promoting the highest corporate standards. Our expert and experienced team work closely with clients to understand their responsible investment principles and deliver their responsible investment priorities.

PIRC’s radical research enables clients to look beyond corporate statements providing new insights into ESG risks and opportunities. Acting only for investors, we are unafraid to take robust positions in our voting and engagement services to drive change in corporate leadership and environmental and social practices.

Our robust and pioneering approach has been serving clients for over 30 years. This pioneering spirit, experience, and commitment to people and planet means PIRC continues to push the boundaries on stewardship.

 

  • 01

    Integrity

    Even when the message is hard to hear, we are always open, fair and honest to your investee companies and in our assessments of your stewardship risks, priorities and plans.

  • 02

    Responsible

    Our approach is always responsible. We are solely focused on responsible investment and acting to protect long-term value by improving environmental, social and governance standards.

  • 03

    Unafraid

    We never shy away from taking robust positions needed to shift environmental, social and governance practices.

  • 04

    Nuanced

    As the UK’s original proxy and stewardship service provider our experience means we never do ESG by numbers.

  • 05

    Bespoke

    We understand that delivering your responsible investment objectives demands a personal and personalised service tailored to your portfolio and responsible investment priorities

  • 06

    Effective

    For PIRC success is measured by change.

Timeline

Did you know?
  • Ahead on climate

    PIRC takes leading positions on climate change. While major investors and advisers supported climate plans made by Shell, in 2021 PIRC vocally opposed the company’s financial statements and the chief executive’s re-election over sustainability concerns – a position in line with a later judgment made in the Dutch courts. PIRC has also exposed sustainability claims of Drax to clients and opposed the company’s financial statements and re-election of the chief executive at the AGM.

  • Making boards work better

    PIRC supports investors improve governance arrangements on workforce and social issues. PIRC’s resolute campaign over a number of years for improved governance arrangements and employment relations at RyanAir led to boardroom changes. PIRC’s ground-breaking engagement work with mining companies and affected communities led to a change of leadership at Rio Tinto and improvements at Vale.

  • Delivering systematic change

    PIRC is not solely focused on companies but supports investors by advocating reforms to financial regulations. Following the banking crisis PIRC identified serious and systematic accounting shortcomings. Through its research on UK accounting standards PIRC’s sustained campaign led to the replacement of the FCA with ARGA.

  • First on stewardship services

    Established in 1986, PIRC is the UK’s original proxy research firm. Ever since then, PIRC has been leading where others follow. In 1992, PIRC launched the UK’s first corporate governance service. In 1994, PIRC supported clients to file the first UK corporate governance resolution at British Gas. And in 1995, PIRC supported clients issue the first social issue shareholder resolution in the UK at Shell. Through services such as split voting and pioneering resolutions on tax, PIRC continues to offer its clients leading proxy and stewardship services.

Who we are

Team

None of us is as effective as all of us.

Bringing together experts from finance, business, climate change, employment relations, human rights, government and politics our team provides insights and services broad in scope but focused by its commitment to responsible investment and the highest corporate standards.

Alan MacDougall

Alan MacDougall

Managing Director

Alan is a leading voice on stewardship and passionate about responsible investment and improving corporate practices.

Having helped found PIRC in 1986, Alan has over 30 years’ experience advising public and private sector clients on ESG issues, shareholder rights and trustee duties.

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During his time at PIRC, he launched the UK’s first corporate governance service, has led pioneering voting and engagement campaigns and has successfully championed a range of corporate governance reforms.

With a background in local government and having supported the founding of Local Authority Pension Fund Forum, Alan has unparalleled experience and insight into the workings of the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Alan is a member of the Best Practice Principles for Shareholder Voting Research. He was the first chair of the UK Social Investment Forum, been on the board of the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) and the ICGN Cross Border Voting Committee, and was a member of the UK Financial Services Authority Listings Review consultative committee. He also served on the Shareholder Voting Working Group, a City of London practitioner group that was chaired by Lord Paul Myners, former Financial Services Minister.

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Janice Hayward

Janice Hayward

Client Services Director

Janice has unrivalled experience and insights into developing and delivering responsible investment services.

Janice joined PIRC in 1991 and became Client Services Director in 1996. Over that period, she has helped deliver PIRC’s leading stewardship services and meet the demands of major institutional investors from across the globe.

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In her role as Client Services Director, Janice leads the development of new stewardship and voting services, such as split voting. She is responsible for client care, responding to institutional client needs and overseeing the delivery of client services.  Janice is also responsible for organising and planning PIRC’s programme of client seminars and client training sessions.

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Paul Hunter

Paul Hunter

Director of Policy

Paul is a policy specialist providing ESG policy insights and advice to high-level clients.

He thrives on providing clients with policy advice designed to improve corporate practices and leads on public policy engagement activities focused on improving the regulatory environment for responsible investors.

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Alongside his direct work for clients, he supports the development of PIRC’s own stewardship policies, thought leadership reports and disclosures.

Paul’s insights are rooted in his experience engaging the chairs and boards of global companies, a background in public policy advice and a commitment to responsible investment principles.

Prior to joining PIRC, Paul worked in public policy research undertaking qualitative and quantitative research and delivering policy advice for major public, private and civil society clients. In this role he served on and serviced numerous commissions and inquiries for parliamentarians and local authorities.

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Rosy Li

Rosy Li

Finance Director

Rosy trained and qualified as a professional accountant in London before joining PIRC, becoming the firm’s Finance Manager in 2006.

Rosy’s current role encompasses the administration of the finance function for PIRC and its associated companies and partners as well as an active participation in the commercial decision-making processes and running of the business.

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Rosy manages all PIRC’s financial transactions and is responsible for all internal management reporting as well as all external statutory reporting. Rosy was appointed Company Secretary of PIRC in 2012.

In addition to her accountancy background, Rosy has over ten years’ experience in Business and IT consultancy with an emphasis on business process reengineering, project management and systems implementation. Rosy is the line manager for the PIRC IT Department.

Rosy is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and holds an MSc in Finance from Cass Business School, City University London.

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