ESG interest drives Candriam's 11% AUM growth         

Candriam's assets under management increased by €18bn to €158bn in 2021 due to increasing appetite for ESG-related funds, according to the fund manager.

Throughout the course of the year, Candriam's own ESG assets also surpassed the €100bn mark, accounting for nearly 70% of the fund manager's total assets.

Candriam stated that "constructive engagement and ESG proxy voting are two key sustainability performance drivers".

The fund manager took part in 2,060 meetings with portfolio companies and voted on 26,605 resolutions throughout the year, opposing around 25% of total management resolutions.

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Having committed to a 50% reduction in emissions across portfolios, Candriam also stated that it opposed resolutions particularly related to ‘Say on Climate' where it believed a company's transition plan had insufficient data to make an informed vote.

Naïm Abou-Jaoudé (pictured), CEO of Candriam, said: "I would like to thank our clients who continue to put their trust and confidence in Candriam, recognising our role as a pioneer in sustainable investing, driven by its core values of conviction and responsibility. As a result of this, we were able to achieve another record year of AUM, continuing our growth trajectory where we've seen assets double over the last seven years.  

"The strength of our platform is reflected in the unrelenting commitment of our employees, the long-term support of our shareholders, and the nimbleness of our organization that offers advanced ESG knowledge, innovation, transparency, and a constant focus on performance."

In terms of asset class, equities were most popular, representing 50% of the year's inflows wit h €3.9bn invested, followed by bonds which attracted 26% (€2bn).