Creating Future Us Launches Investor Coalition Advocating for a Sustainable Digital Economy
Creating Future Us, a UK-based non-profit, is convening influential investment managers and asset owners dedicated to effective tech stewardship
London, Feb 2022 –A network of like-minded investment managers and asset owners, including Baillie Gifford, Sands Capital, Zouk Capital and the Church Commissioners for England, have come together to engage with, and steward companies through, digital governance best practices – an urgent concern in an increasingly digitalised society.
Creating Future Us ("CFU") is a non-profit working with investors to champion sustainable use of technology in business, to create net positive benefits for society. CFU is forming the network of asset managers and owners: Investors for a Sustainable Digital Economy ("ISDE").
Data use, machine learning algorithms, robotics, future of work, bioethics and other areas will be the focus of this pioneering forum of investment professionals. They will harness deep expertise across the digital economy, developing research and stewardship tools focused on understanding and addressing the impacts of these critical issues. ISDE seeks to support corporations in delivering ethical tech outcomes.
"We live in a digitalised world in which every company can be categorized as a tech company to a larger or smaller degree, but corporations lack a standardised framework for ethical digital governance," says Di Rifai, Founder of Creating Future Us and ISDE. "Institutional investors have a fiduciary responsibility to identify and ameliorate risks – as well as identify opportunities that have significant impact on wider stakeholders. We believe that ISDE members will have tremendous influence in guiding corporations to set and follow best practices that produce sustainable outcomes."
Brian Christiansen, Director of Stewardship at Sands Capital, added, "As a growth-oriented investment manager, we must be prepared to steer and innovate alongside companies that are navigating technology use. We are excited to work with other institutional investors through ISDE to promote this important work and advance ESG issues associated with the rapid permeation of technology within all sectors."
Bess Joffe, Head of Responsible Investment for the Church Commissioners for England, said, "We and our partners in this coalition are focused on nascent issues that challenge people and societies. Over the next decade, the rise of artificial intelligence will impact our lives in ways that were once unimaginable, making digital responsibility paramount. This technology spans our entire portfolio and is a stewardship priority for us."
About Creating Future Us
CFU, founded in 2018, is a non-profit organization committed to championing best practice in technology use, and equipping investors with the expertise, insights and tools to enable effective stewardship of the companies in which they invest. CFU advises asset owners and managers across public and private markets totalling circa $1tln Assets Under Management. CFU believes that ethical use of technology is essential to ensuring a sustainable, inclusive digital transformation that works for a wide range of stakeholders. Visit https://creatingfutureus.org/ to learn more.
