BMO Recognized at 2021 Responsible Investment Association Leadership Awards

• Received top honours in the Market Education and Stewardship categories

TORONTO, June 7, 2021 /CNW/ - BMO Global Asset Management Canada (BMO GAM) was today recognized at the Responsible Investment Association's (RIA) 2021 Leadership Awards – receiving the highest score in the Market Education and Stewardship categories.

"It's an honour to see our Canadian team's excellent work recognized by the RIA," said Kristi Mitchem, CEO, BMO Global Asset Management. "BMO GAM has been an active member of the responsible investing community for more than 30 years. As both investors and stewards of capital, we are committed to advancing these principles and to creating a more sustainable future. We're excited to continue driving the growth of responsible investing practices in Canada, alongside our colleagues in the RIA, in the years to come."

Market Education

BMO GAM was honoured in the Market Education category for the development and launch of the MyESG^TM analytics tool. The tool was developed using proprietary research of high-net-worth clients, which identified four distinct environmental, social and governance (ESG) investor personalities based on preferences and beliefs.

The goal of the MyESG^TM campaign was to further integrate ESG into advisor-client conversations, create a deeper understanding of individual investors' ESG mindsets, and address the limiting narrative of a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to ESG investing. To further drive quality conversations, BMO GAM provided advisors additional resources including an ESG Advisor Toolkit and ESG Discussion Guide.

Stewardship

BMO GAM was also recognized in the Stewardship category for its work to accelerate Canadian diversity and inclusion (D&I) beyond gender. This has been achieved through active engagement with Canadian companies to support best practices for broader disclosure of diversity data, collaboration with peers and policy makers to enhance diversity reporting, and the development and promotion of D&I thought leadership from BMO GAM's dedicated RI team.  

BMO's ESG Leadership

The latest awards build on BMO's previous ESG rankings and recognitions including:

• Ranked 15^th on The Wall Street Journal's 2020 list of the 100 Most Sustainably Managed Companies in the World, third overall on Social Capital – BMO was the only North American bank included
• Top North American bank on Corporate Knights' 2021 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World for the second year in a row
• Ranked in the top ten per cent of banks globally on the 2020 Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and the top North American bank
• Scored an A- on the 2020 CDP Climate Change disclosure
• Ethisphere^® Institute's 2020 list of the World's Most Ethical Companies^®
• Corporate Knights 2020 Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada
• Joint winner of Environmental Finance's 2021 Lead Manager of the Year, Social Bonds – Local Authority/Municipality category

For further information on BMO GAM responsible investing initiatives, please visit: www.bmogam.com/rileaders 

For further information on the 2021 RIA Leadership Awards, click here.

MyESG^TM is intended for educational purposes only and should not be acted upon without obtaining specific legal, tax and investment advice from a licensed professional. The information, analysis and opinions expressed herein are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual security. Clients should speak with their investment professional to determine the solution that best meets their individual investment needs and circumstances.

About BMO Financial Group
Serving customers for 200 years and counting, BMO is a highly diversified financial services provider - the 8th largest bank, by assets, in North America. With total assets of $950 billion as of April 30, 2021, and a team of diverse and highly engaged employees, BMO provides a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers and conducts business through three operating groups: Personal and Commercial Banking, BMO Wealth Management and BMO Capital Markets.

SOURCE BMO Financial Group

Media Contact: Colleen Hamilton, Toronto, [email protected], [phone]