2024 in Review: Reflecting on Our Launch Year
On Tuesday, December 3rd, we hosted a webinar to delve into the methodology behind Voting for Sustainability and share more about our rezonanz offering. It was a pleasure to welcome a diverse audience of asset managers, pension funds, and responsible investment organizations.
To kick off the session, we posed two key questions to the audience:
-Should we disclose all asset managers' ranks in future iterations of Voting for Sustainability?
-Should we disclose all pension funds' ranks in future iterations?
The response was a resounding yes for both questions. While the consensus was clear, the reasoning behind it was varied—offering valuable insights into the priorities and expectations of our participants. A detailed breakdown of the results is provided below.
As 2024 comes to a close, we are proud to reflect on an extraordinary inaugural year for rezonanz. Since launching in March, we have been on an ambitious journey to transform responsible investing by driving transparency, collaboration, and measurable change. Here's a look back at the milestones that made our first year unforgettable.
Breaking New Ground in Responsible Investing
We hit the ground running with the launch of our ‘Voting for Sustainability’ Ranking, a groundbreaking initiative that debuted in March. The initial ranking assessed the proxy voting practices of 13 leading asset managers, setting a new standard for sustainability-alignment in stewardship practice.
By November, we expanded this ranking into a global benchmark covering 140 investors, including 77 asset managers and 63 asset owners. This comprehensive analysis empowers institutional investors to measure their voting practices against best-in-class standards, driving accountability and impact across the industry.
June saw the introduction of our collaborative engagement tracker, a state-of-the-art tool enabling institutional investors to track individually or enable anonymized target-sharing with peers. This innovation underscores our dedication to providing actionable insights for a more effective stewardship approach. To introduce institutional investors to this new approach to collaboration, we launched our pilot engagement data-sharing initiative in Q4 2024.
Building Stronger Alliances
2024 was also a year of building connections that amplify our mission. In September, rezonanz became a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment, joining a global network of organizations committed to responsible investing. Shortly after, in November, we became members of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change, further reinforcing our commitment to advancing sustainability through collective action.
Our innovative work earned recognition and support from Innosuisse, Switzerland’s innovation agency, which awarded us Innocheque funding to develop an advanced stewardship benchmarking framework with Dr. Dominik Boos of the ZHAW. This endorsement validates the potential of our data-driven approach to reshape the future of responsible investing.
Engaging the World Stage
In our first year, rezonanz established a strong presence at key industry events. A highlight was our victory at the Stewardship Summit Pitch Competition in London in April, which showcased our potential to global stewardship leaders. In June, we shared insights at the Ethos Foundation's AGM in Bern, bringing our vision for sustainable finance to one of Switzerland's leading responsible investment forums.
Graduating from the Tenity Accelerator Program in June was another proud moment, marking the culmination of an incredible startup incubation journey that helped shape our strategies and approaches.
Fostering Systemic Change
In collaboration with Greenpeace Switzerland, we contributed to a landmark study on asset managers' stewardship activities. Published in June, this work highlighted the critical role of engagement and proxy voting in addressing pressing environmental and social issues.
The release of our full ‘Voting for Sustainability’ Ranking in November capped a year of systemic change, providing a global benchmark that enables investors to compare their own voting track records against a peer universe of over 140 investors in order to enhance their stewardship practices.
Looking Ahead
2024 was a year of incredible growth and impact as we laid the foundation for rezonanz's future. We are grateful to our partners, clients, and supporters who made our first year a success.
Thank you for being part of this transformative year. Here's to an impactful 2025!
amplifying investors' voices to enable better decisions