3.14.2003 ET

(CSRwire) New York, NY - FTSE Group, the independent global index company, today announces that it is strengthening the FTSE4Good Index Series with the addition of a new, independent US Committee made up of experts in the field of socially responsible investing (SRI) and corporate social responsibility (CSR). The new committee will oversee the management of the FTSE4Good US Indexes and provide CSR/SRI expertise in the US to the FTSE4Good Advisory Committee.

The FTSE4Good series is an innovative series of real-time indexes designed to reflect the performance of socially responsible equities. It covers four markets: UK, Europe, US and Global. Four tradable and four benchmark indexes make up the FTSE4Good series.

Since launch in July 2001, over 150 global companies have raised their standards and met the criteria for entry into the indexes. With over 15 financial products and US$1.5 billion linked to the index series, FTSE4Good is growing rapidly and becoming a positive catalyst for corporate change.

Tom Donaldson, a respected business ethics professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, chairs the new FTSE4Good US Committee and also sits on the FTSE4Good Advisory Committee.

Other members of the new US committee include:
§ Linda Crompton, CEO of the Investor Responsibility Research Center.
§ Joan Deneher, manager of the TIAA-CREF Social Choice Equity Fund.
§ Anne-Marie Grey (Observer), VP, Marketing and Strategic Alliances, US Fund for UNICEF.
§ Farha-Joyce Haboucha, Portfolio Manager and Director of Socially Responsive Investing, Rockefeller & Co
§ Elizabeth McGeveran, VP, Governance & Socially Responsible Investment, ISIS Asset Management.
§ William Page, Portfolio Manager, Global Active Equity, State Street Global Advisors.
§ Ingrid Saukaitis Dyott, VP, Associate Portfolio Manager, Neuberger Berman Socially Responsive Fund.

Will Oulton, Deputy Chief Executive, FTSE Group said today, “We welcome the input and insight of these experienced SRI practitioners. Since its launch, the FTSE4Good Index Series has set a global standard for SRI. The committee’s work in ensuring that the series stays up to date with the evolving issues across CSR and SRI is fundamental to FTSE4Good’s continuing success.”

Tom Donaldson, Chairman of the FTSE4Good US Committee said, “Investors in the United States stand to benefit from the growing interest in the FTSE4Good series and the transparent framework for measuring socially responsible companies the indexes provide. FTSE4Good indexes have served as a positive catalyst for corporate change and I am excited to work with such a respected group of SRI practitioners to continue to engage US companies to increase their commitment to CSR best practices.”

The committee’s first task is to review the current FTSE4Good environmental criteria for its appropriateness and suitability to work in line with US legislative and regulatory practices. The committee has been asked to report its’ findings at the FTSE4Good Advisory Committee meeting in September 2003.


Notes to Editors
About FTSE

FTSE Group is a world-leader in the creation and management of indices. With offices in London, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Madrid, Paris, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo, FTSE Group services clients in 77 countries worldwide. It manages and develops globally recognised indices ranging from the FTSE All-World Index to the FTSE 100, the FTSE4Good indices and the recently launched FTSE Global Style Index Series. The company has collaborative arrangements with the Athens, Cyprus, Euronext, Johannesburg, London, Luxembourg, and Madrid exchanges, as well as with Nikkei of Japan (Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Inc) and Xinhua Financial Network of China.

FTSE indices are used extensively by investors world-wide for investment analysis, performance measurement, asset allocation, portfolio hedging and for creating a wide range of index tracking funds. Independent committees of senior fund managers, derivatives experts, actuaries and other experienced practitioners review all changes to the indices to ensure that they are made objectively and without bias. Real-time FTSE indices are calculated on systems managed by Reuters. Prices and FX rates used are supplied by Reuters.

About FTSE4Good

FTSE4Good is an innovative series of real-time indices designed to reflect the performance of socially responsible equities. The series, created and managed by global index provider FTSE Group, covers four markets: UK, Europe, US and Global. Four tradable and four benchmark indices make up the FTSE4Good index series. A committee of independent practitioners in socially responsible investment, (SRI) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) review the indices to ensure that they are an accurate reflection of current CSR best practice.

FTSE Group contributes income including licence fees for FTSE4Good to UNICEF, the global children’s charity.

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