Sands Capital Highlights Integrated Stewardship Approach in Annual Report

June 2022

The world is rapidly shifting from an industrial economy to one of technology-driven innovation. While this new digital age has transformed how we live and do business, it has created significant challenges for the environment, society, and companies seeking to compete.

Growing public awareness of the impacts of climate change, digital consumption, and social inequities has spurred governments and regulators to take more measures to combat the unintended consequences of change in a transforming world.

Against this backdrop, we are publishing our annual stewardship report, Aligning for a Better Future. Indeed, as we watch regulators and businesses grapple with developing appropriate guidelines to help navigate the myriad ethical, privacy, and environmental challenges, we believe the value of active stewardship of long-term client capital has never been greater.

At Sands Capital, we are privileged to be able to invest in select businesses that are leading transformation in this digital age. In our report, we outline our approach to stewardship, which is guided by our belief that investors and capital allocators who act responsibly are best aligned to achieve superior outcomes for shareowners, society, and the planet.

Through our environmental, social, and governance (ESG) integration and engagement, we seek to help businesses not only to grow and mature but also to evolve their ESG practices to navigate emerging economic and societal complexities. As concentrated high-conviction investors with a long investment horizon, we are in a strong position to help influence the journey of these companies, which we believe can contribute to positive long-term outcomes for their shareowners and society.

Acknowledging climate change’s long-term direct and indirect risks to practically all publicly traded businesses, we have enhanced our efforts to better understand these complexities through training and education, climate-specific company research, the implementation of special research tools and data, and our engagement with management teams.

Finally, we are keenly aware of changes in our industry and the broader economy. Thus, we embrace a culture of continuous learning and development, understanding that there are always ways we can improve. To this end, we showcase our newer initiatives to confront evolving challenges and opportunities created by issues such as climate change, modern slavery, and digital ethics.

Owning businesses that are creating the future is indeed a privilege and responsibility. We aim to partner with these select businesses not only as they grow but also as they seek approaches to some of the greatest sustainability challenges of our day.