Legg Mason Celebrates a Decade of Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting
BALTIMORE, December 17, 2018 /3BL Media/– Legg Mason, Inc. (NYSE:LM) celebrates 10 years of connecting employees, communities and stakeholders with the publication of its annual corporate social responsibility (CSR) report. Encompassing corporate governance, diversity and inclusion, community engagement, employee benefits, and a multitude of related topics, the annual CSR report reflects the combined efforts and contributions of professionals within the firm and across all nine affiliate organizations.
“I’m proud of the work being done by my colleagues at Legg Mason and our investment affiliates worldwide. Together, we are dedicated to being that force for good that investors expect and to fulfilling our mission of investing to improve lives,” said Joseph A. Sullivan, Chairman and CEO of Legg Mason.
A critical component of CSR is socially responsible investing in which environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors are examined alongside financial factors in the investment decision-making process. At Legg Mason, approximately $183 billion of long-term assets under management (AUM) are invested in strategies that utilize ESG factors, up 15 percent over the previous year.
Nine Legg Mason affiliates are United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) signatories. ClearBridge Investments, Clarion Partners and Martin Currie all received A+ overall PRI scores as well as above-average scores for each of the respective required modules.
“The ESG landscape is rapidly evolving, and the PRI has been instrumental in raising awareness about responsible investing. It’s more relevant than ever to incorporate ESG considerations into our investment philosophies and contribute to the development of a more sustainable global financial system,” said David Sheasby, Head of Stewardship & ESG at affiliate Martin Currie.
Other notable highlights from fiscal 2018 are as follows:
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Appointed company’s first chief diversity officer, Regina Curry.
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Received a 95% score for the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, which ranks employers on their engagement with and support of the LGBTQ community.
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Became the first company to earn the ISO 37001 Anti-Bribery Management Systems Certificate from PECB North America, a certification body for international standards.
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A subsidiary of affiliate Clarion Partners was named “Multi-family Builder of the Year” by the Florida Green Building Coalition.
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CalPERS, the largest U.S. public pension fund, allocated $1 billion to an ESG investment strategy developed by affiliate QS Investors.
To see the full report, visit www.leggmason.com/csr.
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About Legg Mason
Guided by a mission of Investing to Improve Lives,TM Legg Mason helps investors globally achieve better financial outcomes by expanding choice across investment strategies, vehicles and investor access through independent investment managers with diverse expertise in equity, fixed income, alternative and liquidity investments. Legg Mason’s assets under management are $742 billion as of November 30, 2018. To learn more, visit our website, our newsroom, or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.
Contact Information
Corporate Social Responsibility:
Kristin Kosmides
+1 (410) 454-4802
kokosmides@leggmason.com
Media:
Lisa Tibbitts
+1 (212) 805-6039
ltibbitts@leggmason.com
