RPIA SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2021
RPIA SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2021
OVERVIEW
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
OVERVIEW
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
FIRM
FIRM
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SUPPORTING OUR EMPLOYEES
OUR FOCUS IN 2022
Education & Training We take pride in offering our employees various opportunities for professional and personal growth through ongoing education and training. As a UN PRI signatory, one of our firm’s goals is to ensure our employees are educated in responsible investing. As a result of this commitment, all investor-facing, risk, and portfolio management team members, comprising 67% of our total staff, have either completed an introductory ESG course or enrolled in an ESG certification program. Individuals from other groups at the firm were also given the opportunity to complete introductory courses on the topic and many chose to do so.
Mentorship Program Each year, the RPIA Mentorship Program pairs mentees with senior mentors for a 12-month period with the intent of promoting professional and personal development, encouraging cross-functional coaching, and cultivating a sense of community and mutual empowerment. With their mentor’s support and guidance, mentees establish career goals, discuss strategies to overcome challenges, and gain broadened perspectives from their mentor’s breadth of experience. In 2021, we expanded the program to have more individuals serve as both mentor and mentee. The program has been a beneficial way to improve visibility and upward mobility for junior members of the firm. For mentors, the program is equally rewarding as it provides an opportunity to coach, motivate, and empower their mentees to maximize their potential.
Our mandate is to position RPIA as a leader and go-to asset manager in Canadian sustainable investing, thereby delivering value to our investors and employees through our own firmwide ESG targets and initiatives. - Louise Pitt Brindle, Principal & Head of Credit Research | ESG Innovation Team Sponsor
Smart Commute In 2022, as part of our ongoing commitment to reducing our carbon footprint, we have begun to partner with organizations to provide our employees with tools and resources that support sustainable commuting. These partnerships will benefit our employees and communities in many ways, including reducing congestion, improving health and fitness, and taking action on climate change. Leadership Skills Development One of the initiatives we have launched in 2022 is a bi-weekly drop-in session for people managers and new leaders. The purpose of these sessions is to collectively explore various leadership concepts, develop soft skills, build relationships, and most importantly learn together how to effectively manage productivity while remaining positive, inspiring, and authentic leaders. We believe that senior leadership sets the tone for a truly inclusive environment, and as such, all RPIA Principals are undertaking a 6-month leadership effectiveness program in 2022 that incorporates a focus on modern empathetic leadership principals. Innovation Teams At RPIA, we believe that investing in our employees’ growth and development is one of the key drivers of success and innovation. Leveraging the diversity of thought, skills, and abilities of our employees, we have launched a new initiative of cross-functional Innovation Teams in 2022. The objective of these teams is to harness the knowledge and interests of our employees to help pioneer new products, projects, and processes in support of our near and longer-term firm goals. The ESG Innovation Team is comprised of individuals from the investment, client, and operations functions of the organization to ensure diversity of thought and thorough discussions that bring together multiple perspectives regarding our sustainability initiatives. This team will be driving the firm’s ESG strategy by developing benchmarks, setting goals, conducting research, and providing recommendations for the ESG Committee and functional departments to implement within the workplace and our investment processes.
Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)
Our Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) exemplifies our commitment to the mental health and well-being of our employees and their families. The EFAP is a supplementary benefit program for employees that provides short-term counselling and support. It is most frequently used for personal challenges such as relationship concerns, family or parenting issues, anxiety, depression, addictions, grief, health issues, or work-related challenges.
Listening Forums
This initiative is intended to foster open and honest conversations with small, intimate groups of employees in order to collect meaningful first-hand accounts of the employee experience at RPIA. The responses collected through these candid conversations have been critical in refining our cultural identity and enhancing our engagement with employees.
Internship/Co-op Program
For many summers, we have invited a number of university students to take advantage of our internship and co-op program. This program is designed to provide students with a better understanding of the investment business, enabling participants to build on critical career capabilities and broaden their professional networks.
ESG Innovation Team
Louise Pitt Brindle | Sponsor Principal, Head of Credit Research Maksym Tupis | Member Trading Assistant, Portfolio Operations
Aaron Young | Leader Associate Portfolio Manager
Lydia George | Member Manager, Marketing
Chandini Balloo | Member Associate, Client Engagement
Vincenzo Bufalino | Member Analyst, Client Portfolio Management
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