oekom research, a leader in the provision of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings and data, as well as sustainable investment research, today announced it will join Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (“ISS”). Reflecting the strength of both brands, oekom research will be renamed ISS-oekom.

The oekom research business will continue to be led by its co-founder, Robert Haßler.

“I am pleased for oekom research to join ISS in furtherance of our shared objective of providing institutional investors world-class ESG ratings and data alongside cutting-edge responsible investment research and insights,” said Haßler.

oekom research will maintain and enhance its operations in Munich, Paris, London, New York and Zurich with its staff of more than 110 remaining in place.

Headquartered in Munich and established in 1993, oekom research is a trusted advisor to financial institutions, collectively holding more than USD 1.5 trillion in assets, who turn to it for a wide variety of responsible investment solutions and services. More than 180 financial services companies and institutional investors subscribe to oekom’s sustainability research for the selection of securities for mutual funds, segregated accounts, and asset management mandates.

“As institutions across the globe continue to seek out holistic responsible investment solutions and services, ISS is pleased to respond to those demands through this transaction,” said ISS Chief Operating Officer Stephen Harvey. “We welcome Robert and the entire oekom team to the ISS family and look forward to continue providing our clients with the industry’s leading environmental, social, and governance solutions.”

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About oekom research
oekom research AG is one of the world’s leading rating agencies for sustainable investments and has offices in Germany (Munich), France (Paris), United Kingdom (London), USA (New York) and Switzerland (Zurich). The agency analyses businesses and countries with respect to their environmental and social performance. As an experienced partner of institutional investors and financial service providers, oekom research identifies those equity and bond issuers whose businesses exercise a high level of responsibility towards society and the environment. Over 180 asset managers and asset owners in 13 countries regularly incorporate the rating agency’s research into their investment decisions. As such, oekom research’s analyses currently influence around USD 1.5 trillion assets under management.

For more information, please visit www.oekom-research.com. 

About ISS
Founded in 1985 as Institutional Shareholder Services Inc., ISS is the world’s leading provider of corporate governance and responsible investment (RI) solutions for asset owners, asset managers, hedge funds, and asset service providers. ISS’ solutions include: objective governance research and recommendations; RI data, analytics, advisory and research; end-to-end proxy voting and distribution solutions; turnkey securities class-action claims management (provided by Securities Class Action Services, LLC); and reliable global governance data and modelling tools. Clients rely on ISS' expertise to help them make informed corporate governance decisions, integrate responsible investing policies and practices into their strategy, and execute upon these policies through end-to-end voting. For more information, please visit www.issgovernance.com.

Contact:

Dieter Niewierra, Media & Communications Lead
oekom research
+49-89-5441-8457
dieter.niewierra@oekom-research.com

Sarah Ball, Associate Director
Institutional Shareholder Services Inc.
+44-203-192-5728
sarah.ball@issgovernance.com

ISS-oekom

ISS-oekom

Since March 2018, ISS-oekom has been a member of the ISS family of high quality solution providers for sustainable and responsible investment and corporate governance. Originally founded in 1993 and formerly known as oekom research, the company is one of the world’s leading ESG research and rating agencies for sustainable investments with an unsurpassed rating methodology and quality recognition. ISS-oekom analyses businesses and countries with respect to their environmental social and governance performance. As an experienced partner of institutional investors and financial service providers, we identify those equity and bond issuers whose businesses exercise a high level of responsibility towards society and the environment. Under the new ownership, ISS-oekom completes the ESG research and RI services offerings of ISS, making it a worldwide pure-player in the area of RI Research & Solutions. ISS-oekom is headed by Robert HaéŸler, former CEO and co-founder of oekom-research. More information: www.oekom-research.com and www.issgovernance.com.

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