PRESS RELEASE
15 November 2012
Putting governance on the map
London, 15 November 2012: With the BBC under intense scrutiny over its governance arrangements,
the importance of transparency is at an all time high. High-quality disclosure generates confidence in a
company since it provides investors with evidence that companies are well-run and in a position to
create value for their stakeholders. Against this backdrop, organisations which have demonstrated best
practice in terms of their disclosure in annual reports had their efforts rewarded at the ICSA Hermes
Transparency in Governance Awards held at the Brewery in the City on the evening of 14 November.
Speakers at the Awards ceremony included Dick Olver, Chairman of BAE Systems plc and Chair of
Judges and Baroness Sarah Hogg, Chair of the Financial Reporting Council.
Dick Olver said: ‘Transparency in corporate governance is not a nice-to-have, but a business imperative
… and a vital source of competitive advantage. ‘
‘There’s a lot more to be done to get rid of the clutter’ said Baroness Hogg ‘ but it’s great to be reminded
that there are companies who manage to give clear explanations in their annual reports despite all the
restraints imposed, including by regulators’
In choosing winners, the judging panel singled out companies which best provided evidence, through
their disclosure, that they are embedding high-quality governance within their company and are
engaging their stakeholders.
The award winners are as follows:
Best annual report (In association with Black Sun plc)
FTSE 100: Johnson Matthey plc
FTSE 250: Great Portland Estates plc
Best board disclosure (in association with ICSA Board Evaluation)
FTSE 100: Marks & Spencer plc
FTSE 250: Telecity Group plc
Best strategy and risk disclosure
FTSE 100: Tullow Oil plc (Sponsored by Board Intelligence)
FTSE 250: Shanks Group plc (Sponsored by Addleshaw Goddard LLP)
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PRESS RELEASE
15 November 2012
Best sustainability and stakeholder disclosure (Supported by the International Integrated Reporting
Committee)
FTSE 100: Johnson Matthey plc
FTSE 250: Drax Group plc
Best small cap or AIM report (Supported by the Quoted Companies Alliance)
McBride plc
ICSA and Hermes Equity Ownership Services would like to thank the award sponsors and supporters.
These include ISS, Black Sun plc, ICSA Board Evaluation, Board Intelligence, Addleshaw Goddard LLP,
International Integrated Reporting Committee and the Quoted Companies Alliance.
-EndsFor further information please contact:
Rosie Hamilton on 020 7612 7062/ 07890 649143 or pressoffice@icsaglobal.com
About the Awards: The ICSA Hermes Transparency in Governance Awards are now in their fourth year.
Separate awards are made for FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 companies following a rigorous judging process
which involves an analysis of the most up-to date-annual reports and accounts of the companies in the
FTSE 350. There is also a separate award made for the best small cap or AIM report. The Awards
identify and acknowledge the efforts of those companies providing excellent governance disclosure, with
the aim of encouraging improvements in governance performance for listed companies.
Editor’s Notes
The list of judges is as follows:
Chair of the panel
Dick Olver, Chairman of BAE Systems
Professor Andrew Chambers, Former chair of Corporate Governance and Risk Management Committee,
ACCA
Frank Curtiss, Head of Corporate Governance, Railpen Investments
Julia Graham, Past President AIRMIC, Vice President FERMA
Chris Hodge, Head of Corporate Governance, FRC
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15 November 2012
Jo Iwasaki, Head of Corporate Governance, ICAEW
Gillian Lees, Enterprise governance specialist, CIMA
Charles Mayo, Partner, Simmons & Simmons
Colin Melvin, Chief Executive Officer, Hermes Equity Ownership Services
Andrew Ninian, Assistant Director, Head of Corporate Governance, ABI
Simon Osborne, Chief Executive, ICSA
David Paterson, Head of Corporate Governance, NAPF
Mark Peters, Head of Secretariat, Balfour Beatty
Alec Richmond, Past President, IIA
Observer
Mark Jackson
Senior Policy Adviser, BIS
ICSA
ICSA is the membership and qualifying body for board and company secretaries, in-house lawyers and other
professionals working in governance and compliance roles. Founded over 100 years ago, we have a proud history
of supporting and qualifying professionals with business-relevant knowledge and skills. While many members are
employed as company secretaries, we also support the growing number of professionals working in roles involving
governance and compliance in all types of organisation, from FTSE 100 companies to small and medium-sized
businesses, to charities and NHS trusts. We understand that good governance is fundamental to good business
decision-making and organisational performance, and through our market-leading products and services we help
individuals and organisations to achieve their business and personal objectives.
Through its thought leadership in the areas of boardroom behaviour, reporting and risk management, its influence
with government and regulators, and the work of its members, ICSA is helping to shape the governance agenda
and promote the best practice essential to achieve enhanced board performance.
Hermes EOS
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Hermes EOS was launched in 2004 and is a pioneering advisory service, which enables its clients to be
responsible investors and owners of companies.
Its key aim is to support pension schemes, insurance funds and other long-term investors to meet their
fiduciary responsibilities and become active owners of public companies.
Hermes EOS is a leading provider of ESG services and advises on over £74 billion* of assets under
stewardship, as at 30th September 2012.
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PRESS RELEASE
15 November 2012
About Hermes Fund Managers
Hermes is a unique fund manager – we have been an industry leader in Responsible Investing for over thirty years
and offer clients the unparalleled combination of:
 Our Multi-Boutique Structure gives institutional and pension fund clients globally the benefit of access to a
broad range of specialist, high conviction investment teams operating within an established and robust
operating platform.
 Our Investment Office is a crucial function, acting as a performance risk ‘radar’ for all boutiques’ investment
activity and is central to our mission to deliver Sustainable Risk-Adjusted Alpha to all our clients.
 Our commitment to behaving as a Responsible Asset Manager, not merely by being a ‘Responsible Investor’
in quoted companies but also by applying these principles across all asset classes and by behaving as a ‘good
fiduciary’ on behalf of our clients.
Hermes' investment solutions include:
 Alternatives: Commodities, Hedge Fund Solutions, Real Estate, Private Equity, Infrastructure
 Bonds: Inflation-Linked, Government Bonds, Investment Grade, High Yield
 Equities: Global, Emerging Markets, Small & Mid Cap, Europe, Japan
Hermes manages assets on behalf of more than 170 clients* across these investment areas with £23.3 billion*
assets under management. Additionally, we support pension funds and other global institutional investors
worldwide in meeting their ESG responsibilities through our market leading Hermes Equity Ownership Services,
which takes on a stewardship role engaging globally on more than £74 billion* of assets.
* As at 30th September 2012
Please note the total AUM figure for Hermes Fund Managers Limited (“HFM”) includes £3.8 billion* of assets that are managed by Hermes GPE LLP (“HGPE”), which is a joint
venture between HFM and GPE Partner Limited. HGPE is an independent entity and not part of the Hermes group.”
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