This article originally appeared in Adviser Voice.
Australian-owned wealth and asset manager Real Asset Management (RAM) is pleased to announce that its RAM Australian Diversified Fixed Income Fund and RAM Diversified Fixed Income & Credit SMA have been certified by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA).
Being certified by RIAA signifies that the two RAM strategies have a commitment to ESG providing investors’ confidence we deliver on our responsible investment promise. It also confirms that the two strategies adhere to the strict operational and disclosure practices required under the Responsible Investment Certification Program for the category of product.
RAM Australia CEO Scott Kelly said the RIAA product certification achievement was a testament to RAM’s commitment to act according to its core values.
“Good governance, social responsibility and sustainability practices are key pillars of our company’s culture. Underpinning this is our belief that a proactive and transparent approach to ESG is linked to value creation and that we should align our investment activities with the broader interests of our stakeholders. We also believe we have a moral responsibility to make a positive contribution to the communities in which we operate,” Mr Kelly said.
RIAA CEO Simon O’Connor congratulated RAM on the certification. “RIAA’s Responsible Investment Certification Program differentiates quality, true to label responsible investment products which meet the Responsible Investment Standard. We congratulate RAM for meeting the high benchmark set for Certification for its RAM Australian Diversified Fixed Income Fund and RAM Diversified Fixed Income & Credit SMA.”
Michael Frearson, RAM Head of Fixed Income added: “At RAM we recognise the importance of ESG considerations when managing investment portfolios and build portfolios to achieve specific objectives with minimal risks. Companies which operate in armaments, gaming, pornography, coal mining and tobacco industry groups are excluded from our investment universe. RAM’s issuer-level research process reviews and scores issuers on a range of metrics with a number being specifically related to ESG factors, and our transparent portfolio structure ensures ongoing visibility for our investors. Being a floating rate income strategy, our portfolios are well placed to continue to deliver on their investment objective with a rising income stream and relative capital stability, amid volatile investment conditions for Australian fixed income investors” he said.
RAM has won the Australian Fixed Interest category in the IMAP Managed Accounts Awards for four consecutive years (2018–2021). IMAP’s judging panel is comprised of independent consultants and industry executives who have commended RAM on the quality of its investment offering and risk adjusted approach to portfolio construction.
Other recent major RAM ESG milestones include:
- RAM was named an Inclusive Employer 2021-2022 by Diversity Council Australia (DCA). The accreditation comes off the back of DCA’s nationally representative survey of workplace inclusion – Inclusion@Work Index.
- In July 2021, RAM was recognised for its commitment to closing the gender pay gap with RAM Australia CEO Scott Kelly being appointed as a Pay Equity Ambassador by Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WEGA) after RAM voluntarily signed up for its program which encourages equal pay across workplaces in a range of sectors.