News

We are delighted to announce that the Wales Pension Partnership (WPP) remains a signatory to the UK Stewardship Code.

https://www.frc.org.uk/investors/uk-stewardship-code/uk-stewardship-code-signatories

WPP strives to maintain high standards in its approach to responsible investment (RI) and considers that the Stewardship Code is reflective of its ambitions. We are therefore delighted to have retained our signatory status for 2025.

One of WPP’s strengths is the collaboration between the Pool’s underlying partner funds, who we would like to thank for their continued contribution and support, in progressing our work on RI and stewardship. Highlights of our work included completing the establishment of the private markets programme with the launch of our real estate proposition.  Our focus on local investment was demonstrated by our partnership with Pluto Finance through investment in their local impact programme, funding affordable housing. 

Progressing the recommendations of the All-Wales Climate Report (AWCR) was also a key area of focus and collaboration as we worked to develop a new climate focused passive equity fund. This proposition involved consultation with multiple stakeholders to ensure that the fund met the requirements of all partners.  This project was completed and the new fund launched in November 2025. 

Stewardship remained a particular focus over the last year. We worked with Russell Investments and Robeco to put in place escalation principles, ensuring that we continue to make our partners accountable for their activity. Building on this, we also commenced work on evolving our investment framework to establish minimum standards that we can implement across our portfolios. 

WPP’s stewardship work would not have been possible without our external partnerships. Robeco, our Voting & Engagement Provider, voted on more than 16,000 resolutions and had over 900 engagements with over 230 companies covering a range of environmental, social & governance issues. 

As we look forward to the evolution in governance arrangements and the launch of the WPP Investment Management Company, our ambition to stay at the forefront in our responsible investment practices continues.