7.02.2007 - 01:06pm ET

(CSRwire) LONDON -July 2, 2007 – For the second year in a row, Innovest Strategic Value Advisors has been ranked the #1 Leading Independent Research Provider of ‘extra-financial research’. Innovest leads the ranking with 21.05% of the vote, up 5% from 2006.
The survey results are based on responses from 140 buy-side firms and 18 sell-side firms across Europe and the UK, and was conducted from 19 March to 4 June 2007. Over 60 independent research nominees were examined.

The survey demonstrates that extra-financial research is a rapidly expanding and competitive field as sustainability concerns are climbing the investment agenda. The survey highlights that investors across the board are increasing using independent research providers and that a growing number of buy-side respondents are attributing at least 2% of total commissions to extra-financial research.

Innovest Chief Executive, Dr. Matthew Kiernan, commented: "The Innovest team is both honoured and challenged by this recognition from our clients and other investors. As ‘extra-financial’ investment research continues to gain traction with the mainstream in both developed and emerging markets, the "quality bar", quite rightly, continues to be raised higher and higher. We will need to work even harder and more creatively to be worthy of a similar honour next year, and we fully intend to do so."

Innovest Strategic Value Advisors is an internationally recognised investment research and advisory firm specialising in analysing companies’ performance on environmental, social, and strategic governance issues, with a particular focus on their impact on competitiveness, profitability, and share price performance.

Individual company ratings and reports (Intangible Value Assessments) as well as Industry sector reports can be purchased through CSRwire's website by clicking here.

Innovest has offices in New York City, Toronto, San Francisco, London, Paris, Sydney, and Tokyo.

For more information about Innovest research, please contact Peter Wilkes at +1 212 421 2000 ext. 216 or Andy White at +44 (0) 20 7073 0469.

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