About Those Assembled “Best Of” Lists of Companies – What Lessons Are There for the Managers of Other Firms…not on the List of the Chosen?

There are a number of “best of” lists that corporate managers and investment professionals scour to see what companies are judged to be doing well (by the list makers)…whether they be industry peers & competitors, or possible acquisitions or partners, and for investors, whether the listed firms might be the right choices for investment portfolios.

One annual list that we do follow is the one produced by Corporate Knights – the “Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations”, published for the 15th year in 2019.  This list begins with around 7,500 possible inclusions in the top 100, all firms generating $1 billion or more in revenues.  Analysts devote 5,000 hours scouring almost 4 million data points to narrow the field to the chosen 100.

Examining the results, Holly Johnson of The CEO Magazine shared her perspectives with her readers.  There were top takeaways she learned from examining the work of Corporate Knights analysts:

1. The top companies “live longer” (average age for the top 10 was 87 years!).
2. They are better governed than peers, with lower CEO-to-worker pay ratio. They pay more in taxes.
3. They’re “greener,” generating more revenues from clean (positive green or social impact) goods and services.
4. More women are found in their ranks, and in the board room; there’s bound to be found a link between exec compensation and sustainability measures.
5. Revenue is “cleaner” – generated through sustainable products. The Top Company is Chr. Hansen, generating 80% of revenues from development of natural solutions for food preservation and crop protection, as well as alternatives to using antibiotics for food animals.
6. Investors are happier with these firms. 

You can find the details from each of these findings in our Top Story. There’s a link to the Top 100 Corporate Knights list in The CEO Magazine post.

The company names you’ll find in the Top 10 of the Top 100 firms include Prologis (USA); GlaxoSmithKline Plc (UK); Banco do Brasil S.A. (Brazil); Taiwan Semiconductor (Taiwan).

Author Holly Johnson is staff writer and digital producer with The CEO Magazine, in Australia, where “she now delves into the world of leading business executives.”  The magazine is Australia’s leading business publication.

# # #

We’re also sharing news this week “up top” about our partnership with Donnelley Financial Solutions (DFIN), the leading global risk management and compliance solutions company which provides services and advice to many of the nation’s largest public companies.

We’re partnering with DFIN to provide a full suite of sustainability services and solutions to the firm’s client base.  DFIN shares important perspectives in a number of white papers; these are available with links in the story below.

DFIN Survey Reveals Gaps in Implementation and Reporting of Environmental, Social and Governance Issues – Announces Strategic Partnership with G&A Institute

(Tuesday - July 09, 2019) Source: Business Wire – Donnelley Financial Solutions (NYSE:DFIN) announced strategic partnership with Governance & Accountability Institute to offer clients an expanded suite of solutions to begin, or advance and enhance their ESG initiatives and reporting. Recent survey shows gaps still exist within the implementation and reporting of corporate ESG initiatives… 

This is just the introduction of G&A's Sustainability Highlights newsletter this week. Click here to view full issue