About us

Our DNA, our culture and our history are rooted in sustainability.

DNA

By pioneering global stewardship, developing innovative ESG strategies and advocating for a financial system that works for all, the international business of Federated Hermes has been at the forefront of investment and sustainability since 1983.

Our $1.3tn in stewardship assets under advice, ground-breaking work in ESG integration across asset classes and key role in developing the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) illustrate our commitment and influence.

With industry-leading investment, stewardship and advocacy experts, we aim to deliver Sustainable Wealth Creation that enriches investors, benefits society and preserves the environment – for current generations and those to come.

Painting in the shape of a drop of water

Size and scale

$ 0 bn
£453bn/€507bn in assets under management
$ 0 tn
£938bn/€1tn in assets under advice
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investment & stewardship professionals
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employees
Source: Federated Hermes as at 31 December 2020.

Leading the way

Our track record in sustainability and investment proves the depth of our heritage. Through our own innovations and collaborations with industry bodies and academia to research, verify and advance best practices, we ensure that investing sustainably is our past, present and future.

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Founders
  • Led drafting of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)
  • Driven the integration of sustainability and investment since 1983
  • Defining responsible equity ownership since 2002
  • Responsible property investment since 2008
Pioneers
  • Invented proprietary ESG analysis tools
  • Pioneering SDG engagement funds
  • Industry’s first Responsibility Office
  • One of the first asset managers to build a dedicated governance team to engage and improve companies
  • Global, effective stewardship: engaging companies worldwide on issues that matter most to an international client base
Leaders
  • In stewardship and engagement: $1.3tn in assets under advice
  • One of the largest, most experienced and diverse stewardship teams
  • Saker Nusseibeh, CEO – International, awarded the CBE designation for services to responsible business in 2020
Proven
  • ESG performance-contribution metrics in use
  • Integration of sustainability factors effective in public and private markets
  • Long-term, ongoing research proving the effectiveness of ESG and stewardship integration
  • Academic research partnerships track and prove the positive impact of stewardship
Single-minded
  • Investing for Sustainable Wealth Creation is all we do – in public and private markets worldwide
  • Continuing to expand and improve our global stewardship capabilities
  • Leveraging the growth of sustainability in investment to change investment for good
  • Exporting our pioneering stewardship and responsibility model to new markets
Change-makers
  • EOS at Federated Hermes is a co-leader of Climate Action 100+
  • Member of 54 leading investment and sustainability organisations, and our employees sit on boards or committees that look at these issues at 33 organisations
  • UK and EU government lobbyists on sustainability matters
  • Saker Nusseibeh, CBE, CEO – International, founded The 300 Club to challenge the industry to truly serve end investors
  • Advisors on stewardship codes in developed and emerging markets
  • Lecturing on responsible investment at leading European universities
Visionaries
  • “The Why Question”: a call to change investment to serve society as well as investors
  • “Stewardship: the 2020 Vision”: a call for the investment industry to seek Sustainable Wealth Creation empowered by stewardship
  • Seeking real-time ESG analysis by collaborating with fintech firms
  • Academic research partnerships with leading European universities
Active
  • Our 2020 stewardship activity:
    • 1,245 companies engaged
    • 123,988 voting recommendations made at 11,759 meetings
    • 224 public policy actions
  • 85% median active share across equity strategies over three years1
  • 54% of EOS engagements surpass 8 years in duration
  • Regenerating inner-city areas through real-estate placemaking
  • Impactful AGM interventions: Volkswagen, Hon Hai, Deutsche Bank and more

1This is calculated by Federated Hermes.

Source: Federated Hermes as at 31 December 2020.

Our history

Our story as a leading responsible investor has been decades in the making – and an exciting new chapter is developing in our evolution as the international business of Federated Hermes.

1955
1969
1976
1983
2002
2004
2006
2010
2014
2015
2017
2018
2019
2020
Bird's head icon
Federated Investors, Inc. founded
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Federated launches the first fund to invest exclusively in US Government securities
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Federated creates the first institutional money-market fund and one of the first municipal bond funds
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Hermes’ predecessor is established & starts engaging UK companies
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Hermes explains what investors should expect of companies in its landmark Responsible Ownership Principles
  • Hermes coins the term ‘engagement’ to help explain stewardship to international investors
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Hermes EOS (now EOS at Federated Hermes) is founded
Hermes leads the drafting of the UN PRI and becomes a founding signatory
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Hermes signs the UK Stewardship Code
Hands folding tower of bricks
Responsibility Office in London is established
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Hermes creates what is now the Federated Hermes Pledge
SDG
  • Credit ESG-risk pricing model developed
  • Hermes launches Impact Opportunities and SDG Engagement Equity strategies
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    • Federated acquires Hermes
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      • SDG Engagement High Yield launched by Federated and Hermes
      • Responsibility Office in Pittsburgh is established
        Icon of a medal
        • Federated Hermes brand launched
        • EOS passes $1tn in assets under advice
        • Saker Nusseibeh, CEO – International, awarded CBE for services to responsible business

          Driving the agenda

          Believing that investment outperformance should also generate positive outcomes in the world, and that stewardship should evolve to become the core of investment strategies in the 2020s, we have always advocated progressive change in our industry.

          We led the working group that developed the PRI. In 2006, when the principles were launched, we became a founding member.

          We were a founding signatory of the International Corporate Governance Network, and provided input into the Japanese and Malaysian Stewardship Codes.

          As a firm, we are a member of 54 organisations that focus on or support sustainability and investment, and our employees sit on boards or committees that look at these issues at 33 organisations. They include: 

          PRI

          Impact Management Project

          CDP

          Council of Institutional Investors

          Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark

          FCA-PRA Climate Financial Risk Forum

          United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative

          Sustainability Accounting Standards Board

          Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change

          International Corporate Governance Network 

          Leadership

          We hold ourselves to the same high standards of governance that we expect of the companies we invest in and engage with.

          Our Board

          Harriet Steel
          Harriet Steel
          Head of Business Development, International at Federated Hermes
          Harriet is Head of Business Development, a member of the Executive Committee and an Executive Board Director of the international business of Federated Hermes. She joined the business in 2011.
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          Saker Nusseibeh
          Saker Nusseibeh, CBE
          CEO, International at Federated Hermes
          Saker is CEO of the international business of Federated Hermes, appointed November 2011, having joined in June 2009 as CIO. He is also a member of the Federated Hermes Executive team.
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          Gordon Ceresino
          Gordon Ceresino
          Vice Chairman, Federated Hermes, Inc. and President, Federated International Management Limited
          Gordon is Vice Chairman of Federated Hermes, Inc., President of Federated International Management Limited and Executive Director for international distribution. He is responsible for leading, developing and executing the firm’s global private markets distribution strategy.
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          Deborah Cunningham
          Deborah Cunningham
          Chief Investment Officer, Global Liquidity Markets, Senior Portfolio Manager, Executive Vice President, Federated Hermes, Inc.
          Deborah is Chief Investment Officer of Global Liquidity Markets. She joined Federated Hermes in 1981 and has more than 30 years of investment experience.
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          Thomas Donahue
          Thomas Donahue
          President, FII Holdings, Inc., Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, Federated Investors, Inc. and Director, Federated Investors, Inc.
          Thomas joined the firm in 1993 as a Vice President and currently serves as the company’s Director and Chief Financial Officer.
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          John Fisher
          John Fisher
          President and Chief Executive Officer, Federated Advisory Companies, Federated Hermes, Inc.
          John has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Federated Advisory Companies since 2006. He provides overall leadership to Federated’s investment management organisation.
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          Jane E. Lambesis
          Jane E. Lambesis
          Senior Vice President, Regional Sales Consultant, Federated Hermes, Inc.
          Jane joined Federated Hermes in 1987 and is Senior Vice President of Sales.
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          Theodore Zierden III
          Theodore W Zierden III
          President - Administration, Federated Services Company, Federated Hermes, Inc.
          Theodore manages the Business Information Services Division. He also oversees the Investor Services Division.
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          David Stewart
          David Stewart
          Chairman and independent Non-Executive Director
          David is currently Chairman of IMM Associates, Chairman of Caledonia Investment Trust, and a Non-Executive representative on the MacMillan Cancer Care Investment Committee.
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          Sally James
          Sally James
          Non-Executive Director
          Sally was appointed Non-Executive Director of HFML in April 2017. She served as Managing Director and General Counsel of UBS Investment Bank EMEA from 2001 to 2008.
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          James Fraser
          James Fraser
          Non-Executive Director
          James was appointed as the BTPS Nominated Director in June 2020. He was a Non-Executive Director of Tilney Group Limited (now Tilney Smith and Williamson Limited) from March 2014 until September 2020.
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          Richard Novak
          Richard Novak
          Non-Executive Director
          Richard is the Principal Accounting Officer and Vice President of Federated Hermes, Inc. He is a director and President of Federated Investors Trust Company, director and Vice President of FII Holdings, Inc. and Senior Vice President of Federated Investors Management Company.
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          Pars Purewal
          Pars Purewal
          Non-Executive Director
          Pars was appointed Non-Executive Director of HFML in June 2020 and Chair of the Audit Committee in July 2020. He retired as a senior partner from PriceWaterhouseCoopers (“PwC”) in June 2019 after a thirty-six-year career at the firm.
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          Executive Committee

          Harriet Steel
          Harriet Steel
          Head of Business Development, International at Federated Hermes
          Harriet is Head of Business Development, a member of the Executive Committee and an Executive Board Director of the international business of Federated Hermes. She joined the business in 2011.
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          Saker Nusseibeh
          Saker Nusseibeh, CBE
          CEO, International at Federated Hermes
          Saker is CEO of the international business of Federated Hermes, appointed November 2011, having joined in June 2009 as CIO. He is also a member of the Federated Hermes Executive team.
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          Eoin Murray
          Eoin Murray
          Head of Investment, International at Federated Hermes
          Eoin is Head of Investment, leads the Investment Office, and is a member of the Executive Committee. He joined the business in January 2015 with almost 30 years’ investment experience.
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          Ian Kennedy
          Ian Kennedy
          Chief Operating Officer, International at Federated Hermes
          Ian is Chief Operating Officer for the international business of Federated Hermes and a member of the Executive Committee. He joined the business in 2015.
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          Chris Taylor
          Chris Taylor
          CEO of Real Estate & Head of Private Markets, International at Federated Hermes
          Chris is Head of Real Estate & Private Markets and a member of the Executive Committee. He joined the business in 2010.
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          Keith Davies
          Keith Davies
          Head of Strategic Risk & Compliance, International at Federated Hermes
          Keith joined the business as Head of Strategic Risk & Compliance in July 2020. He is a member of the Executive Committee and advises the board on risk, compliance and regulatory matters.
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          Our Culture

          We place responsibility, integrity and client focus at the heart of everything our people do.

          The Federated Hermes Pledge

          Established in 2015, the Federated Hermes Pledge compels us to put clients’ interests first and to act responsibly and transparently. The voluntary commitment has been signed by 99% of employees at the international business of Federated Hermes.

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          Read our pledge

          I pledge to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment and in accordance with my role, this covenant:

          • I will act ethically, responsibly and with integrity.
          • I will put the interests of our clients first, consistent with our fiduciary responsibilities.
          • I will encourage responsible behaviour in the firms in which we invest and on which we engage.
          • I will act with consideration for our community and the environment both now and in the future. I will encourage others to do the same.
          • I will work with industry colleagues and other key stakeholders to develop and improve our industry’s contribution to society.
          • I will treat my clients, my colleagues and all other stakeholders with dignity and respect and as I would wish to be treated.
          • I will deal with our regulators in an open, co-operative and timely way.
          • I will communicate clearly and honestly with all parties inside and outside our firm.
          • I will manage conflicts of interest fairly between all parties.

          Corporate citizenship

          Beyond our commitment to generating Sustainable Wealth Creation, we aim to positively influence our community through diverse partnerships:

          Volunteering
          Partnerships
          We participate in Mosaic’s efforts to help young people from poorer communities to develop their talents and potential.
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          As part of the Prince of Wales’s responsible-business network, we confront a wide range of environmental and social challenges.
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          We help to improve educational achievement, enhance employability and increase social cohesion for people in London’s East End.
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          Funding research to increase survival rates, improve treatment options and help families cope with all that a brain tumour brings.
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          We offset our operational carbon emissions by purchasing verified offsets resulting in trees planted in schools, woodlands and plantations.
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          Through this partnership, we help people under the age of 20 to access school-leaver and graduate programmes at investment-management firms.
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          Diversity and inclusion

          Our mission is clear. It is to foster and promote a culture of inclusion which celebrates all forms of diversity, enables our people to maximise their potential, and encourages innovation and creativity. This enables us to become an employer of choice, support our wider responsibility aims and deliver Sustainable Wealth Creation for our clients.

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          Our practices

          We have a long-standing commitment to increasing diversity and inclusion in our business and acknowledge that we need to make further progress.

          Our Inclusion Committee, comprised of senior members of the firm, is responsible for holding us all – including our Executive Committee – to account by reporting on our progress. In addition, our dedicated Talent & Inclusion Development Partner, with support from the Inclusion Committee, is responsible for implementing the initiatives set out in our inclusion strategy.

          Advocating for D&I in the asset-management industry

          We are members of a number of networks and forums and will seek more opportunities to improve diversity and inclusion so that working in this industry is attractive and accessible for all.

          Gender diversity

          At the international business of Federated Hermes, we are committed to supporting a fair and ethical workplace for all our colleagues.

          Women in Finance Charter

          We fully support the Women in Finance Charter and its objective of achieving gender balance in financial services. Having achieved our 2020 targets for gender diversity, we are delighted to be on track to meeting our 2021 goals.

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          Gender diversity: 2021 targets

          Firm-wide:

          45%

          44% in 2020

          Board:

          35%

          31% in 2020

          Senior management:

          35%

          33% in 2020

          Gender pay

          We welcome the attention that the gender pay gap reporting regulations have brought to the diversity and inclusion cause and will continue to report annually on our mean and median pay and bonus gaps. In doing so, we will interrogate the data to understand how to close these gaps.

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          Equal opportunities policy

          We believe in equal opportunities for all and aim to ensure that no current or prospective employee is treated less favourably on the basis of their gender, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity or expression, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, age, sexual orientation, or disability.

          Want to know more about our delivery of Sustainable Wealth Creation?

          Contact us

          The value of investments and income from them may go down as well as up, and you may not get back the original amount invested.