RiskMetrics Launches Policy Exchange

In an effort to give a direct view into the corporate governance policies and principles that drive the proxy-voting decisions of leading institutions, shareholder advisory firm RiskMetrics has launched its first Governance Policy Exchange.

Through the exchange, users are now able to compare and contrast diverse policy views spanning six governance topics and more than 100 sub-categories, facilitating more informed governance decision-marking across the institutional investment community.

Initial participants in the Policy Exchange include: TIAA-CREF, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Domini Social Investments, the California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS), and the Connecticut Retirement Plans & Trust Funds.

The policy extracts are supported with downloadable audio interviews with participants of the Policy Exchange, and a feedback tool allows users to comment and submit questions to the participating institutions.

“Enabling access to the diverse range of voices on governance issues is a key part of our leadership role in the financial community,” said Martha Carter, head of RiskMetrics Group’s Governance Institute and Global Policy Board, in a statement. “Our Policy Exchange provides unprecedented access to these policies and is truly a unique platform for advancing corporate governance dialogue and transparency through a network of recognized governance leaders.”

RiskMetrics said that in the coming weeks, new governance polices from institutional investors, issuers, and industry groups will be added, building a library that reflects the financial community’s broad range of perspectives on corporate governance.