Corporate Governance

Promoting Corporate Governance
ING Investment Management Europe (ING IM Europe) believes that companies with good corporate governance, which are transparent to their shareholders and stakeholders, are likely to perform better in the long run. We see it as our responsibility to promote good corporate governance within those companies in which we invest. One way to do this is to make active use of the voting rights attached to the shares. When we vote on company ballots, we act in the best interests of the beneficial owner of the assets.

Dutch Corporate Governance Code
As an institutional investor, we manage assets for the account of clients worldwide as well as for ING Group’s own account. The responsibility held by institutional investors is laid down in the Dutch Corporate Governance Code. The code contains generally-accepted principles for appropriate corporate governance which are translated into best practice provisions. The basic principle is that institutional investors operate primarily in the interest of the beneficial owners or investors.

ING Group’s Global Voting Policy
Following the best practices set in the Dutch Corporate Governance Code, ING Group published its own Global Voting Policy for all asset managers within ING Group. The following principles apply to ING IM Europe.

Key principles

1. As your asset manager ING IM Europe will cast votes on your behalf, unless this is not in your interest as beneficial owner of the assets or is not allowed under local regulations. ING IM Europe may decide not to vote if costs are too high or voting is impracticable.

2. ING IM Europe will vote to best serve your interests as beneficial owner of the assets. Even if this means deviating from the ING Global Voting Policy.

3. When we vote on your behalf, we do so exclusively in your interests. Votes on mutual fund assets are cast in line with the fund’s voting policies and in the collective interest of the fund investors. When it comes to assets held for the account of ING, we serve the best interests of ING.

4. You can monitor how ING IM Europe votes on your behalf by consulting the regular updates published on this page under the topic Corporate Governance/ING IM Europe’s voting activity.