Direct investments
Responsibility throughout the entire investment process
In direct investments FII invests directly in an individual company. FII follows the principles of responsible investing throughout the entire investment process. When making an investment decision FII takes a stance on how the company in question addresses corporate responsibility issues. Any needs for influencing are explored in the investment phase. In all contract documentation FII specifies the responsible investment principles that it pursues. If there are any significant corporate responsibility issues in the company's operations, they can be specified in contracts.
When managing investments, responsibility issues are an integral element of the dialogue with a portfolio company. As an active owner, FII aims to influence the way in which the company handles its corporate responsibility affairs through, inter alia, board work. FII has, for example, endeavoured to influence the responsibility of its portfolio companies in the mining sector by appointing members to the board who have sound experience in environmental aspects. Cleantech companies, for their part, base their earnings models on the opportunities that responsible entrepreneurship offers.
During 2013 the principles of responsible investment were integrated into the company’s investment process. Expertise in responsibility was strengthened by, for instance, responsible investment training. The company employed independent consultants to provide the training.
Portfolio companies’ responses to a survey arranged by FII in 2013 showed they have addressed corporate responsibility and the significance of its development. More than half of the respondents have issued public statements concerning responsibility principles and/or practices.
Corporate responsibility practices and prospects in portfolio companies (23 respondents)
Case: StaffPoint Oy
The StaffPoint Group is a recruitment specialist and employment agency. The company introduces new operating methods and service solutions in which recruitment services, training and IT systems for personnel management are combined into a package. The new StaffPoint Group was formed at the end of 2012 when the recruitment companies StaffPoint and HR House merged their operations. The Group employs some 300 people and generates net sales of €110 million.
FII invested in StaffPoint Holding Oy in 2012.
The StaffPoint Group is a large employer in Finland and a responsible company. The Group is a responsible employer, and one of the first recruitment companies to gain Reiluja vuokratöitä (Fair Agency Work) authorisation. The Group’s key project in the corporate responsibility arena is StaffPoint’s Uralinko project, aimed at boosting employment for young people. Its goal is to employ 18–25 year-olds in different sectors in longer-term contracts, providing in total one million working hours a year. In 2013, young people did 900,000 working hours under the auspices of the Uralinko project. This responsibility project is being further developed, and the benchmark of one-million working hours should be surpassed in 2014.
