The first 20 years of investing responsibly

Ownership with a purpose

In 20 years, the fund has grown to become the largest single owner in the world’s stock markets. How we exercise our rights and manage our responsibilities as an owner has evolved rapidly. In this publication, we share our experience as an investor in over 9,000 companies. The fund started out as a reluctant owner. Today, we vote at more than 11,000 shareholder meetings and have nearly 3,500 meetings with companies every year. We publish expectations of companies that make clear our priorities as a long-term owner. We contribute actively to the development of international standards on responsible business conduct.

Published 28 Aug. 2020

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Presented at a virtual NBIM Talk 28 August

The CEO Yngve Slyngstad, Chief Governance Officer Carine Smith Ihenacho and Head of Governance Jonas Jølle, will take us through the fund's last 20-years experience as an investor in over 9,000 companies and discuss how we went from a small, reluctant owner to a large, active owner. We will also take a virtual travel to meet Professor Alex Edmans at the London Business School and Paul Simpson, CEO of CDP. They will talk about the role of large investors, responsible business conduct and the development of international standards.

In the past 20 years, the fund has become the largest single owner in the world’s stock markets. At the same time, we have become a global leader in responsible investing. The publication describes our journey and strategy and provides insight into the choices we have made and the experiences we have gained. The fund’s long-term return is dependent on sustainable growth, well-functioning markets and good corporate governance. The fund considers governance and sustainability issues that could have an impact on the fund’s performance over time, and integrates these issues into our work on establishing principles, our long-term ownership and our investing.