IPE Awards – Brunel best in Europe for ESG
Brunel Pension Partnership and Railpen were awarded a shared gold in the ‘ESG’ category at the Investment & Pensions Europe Awards, which were held in Seville last week.
The annual awards, which cover the whole of Europe, are the gold standard for Responsible Investment. Brunel also received a ‘Highly Commended’ (i.e. runner-up) in the ‘Carbon & Net Zero strategies’ category.
The judges also set out their reasons for selecting Brunel:
“Our judges have recognised a joint winner in this category for its compelling commitment to ESG, particularly its rigorous focus on greenhouse gas reduction and active support for sustainability initiatives. The fund provided judges with a reflective assessment of its ESG priorities, acknowledging areas for greater selectivity to maximise impact. Brunel’s approach demonstrates mainstreamed ESG integration into investment policy, risk management, monitoring, governance, and engagement, aligning with international standards while seeking measurable outcomes. Its ethos, encapsulated in the objective to “provide not only for members’ retirement, but for the world they will retire into”, positions Brunel as a role model, combining ambition with a clear ethical rationale.”
Brunel has won awards across several themes at IPE and IPE Transition Awards over the past six years, but a significant proportion have recognised Brunel’s climate change focus:
- 2020 IPE Awards: ESG, Climate-related risk management
- 2021 IPE Awards: Climate-related risk management; Innovation; Portfolio Construction & Diversification
- 2022 IPE Awards: Impact Investing
- 2024 IPE Transition Awards: Private Markets
- 2024 IPE Awards: Impact Investing; Carbon & Net Zero Strategy
- 2025 IPE Transition Awards: Stewardship Campaign & Strategy; Transparency & Communication on Transition Communications
The 2025 IPE Awards winners list has been published on the IPE website.
“Brunel has seven RI priority themes, but our specific ambition on climate change has always been to ‘change the investment industry to keep temperature rise to 1.5°C – all our RI priorities are important in their own right, but some of them also play a crucial role in enabling progress on climate change,” said Faith Ward, Chief RI Officer at Brunel. “While we have always limited our awards focus, the profile of the IPE Awards means they form a part of how we persuade others in the industry of the merits of our approach. We are so pleased to be recognised for ESG at this year’s awards.”
For more on Brunel’s approach to ESG and Responsible Investment, see: https://www.brunelpensionpartnership.org/investing-responsibly/responsible-investment/
On Brunel’s approach to Climate Change, see: https://www.brunelpensionpartnership.org/investing-responsibly/responsible-investment/climate-chang…