ClearBridge Investments 2026 Stewardship Report
Global Platform, Global Insights
ClearBridge’s ninth annual report on our stewardship efforts explores our global platform for integrating sustainability factors across sectors, global and local markets, and the market cap spectrum.
Explore our 2026 Stewardship Report to find out more.
Stewardship at ClearBridge
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Welcome Letter - Terrence Murphy, CEO
The global sustainability landscape continues to evolve, shaped by shifting regulatory frameworks, regional perspectives and an increasingly complex set of risks and opportunities for investors. |
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Annual Update - Mary Jane McQuillen, Head of ESG
Mary Jane McQuillen leads ClearBridge’s ESG efforts with a focus on how sustainability considerations shape investment decisions across the firm — not as a separate exercise, but as part of the daily discipline of fundamental research. |
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Firm Overview
ClearBridge Investments is an active equity manager offering a broad range of strategies across global developed and emerging markets, local markets, and real assets and income. |
Materiality Drives Stewardship Topics and Insights
ClearBridge uses a proprietary materiality framework to identify the key ESG considerations for each sector and subsector under analyst coverage.
Materiality in a Global Context
Highlights from 2025 include topics such as decarbonization and climate adaptation, critical minerals and human rights, biodiversity, responsible AI and governance topics such as shareholder rights.
Decarbonization and Climate Adaptation
Companies with products and services that help us adapt to climate change are seeing their opportunities expand.
Responsible AI
Responsible AI is increasingly critical as an ESG factor affecting software businesses and, as part of the ClearBridge Materiality Framework™, is only growing in importance in conversations with companies.
Case Studies:
A Governance-First Foundation to Sustainability in Emerging Markets - Eoghan McGrath CFA, ESG Associate; Aimee Truesdale, CFA, Portfolio Manager, ClearBridge Emerging Markets Strategy
Innovating Carbon Capture Across Industries - Mary Jane McQuillen, Portfolio Manager, ClearBridge Sustainability Leaders Strategy, Head of ESG; Dimitry Dayen, CFA, Portfolio Manager, ClearBridge Sustainability Leaders Strategy; Brian Lund, CFA, Portfolio Manager, ClearBridge Small Cap Strategy; Adam Meyers, Senior Research Analyst, Energy/Basic Materials
Metals, Minerals and Engineering Are Key to Lower-Carbon Outcomes - Naomi Bant, CFA, Portfolio Manager, ClearBridge Australian Equities; Will Baylis, Portfolio Manager, ClearBridge Australian Equities
Responding to the Evolving Canadian Regulatory Landscape - Timothy W. Caulfield, CFA, Portfolio Manager, Canadian Equities, Director of Canadian Equities Research; Sana Saeed, Portfolio Associate, Canadian Equities
ClearBridge’s Approach to Engagements
On a global scale, ClearBridge pursues a partnership approach to active ownership, seeking to act as responsible stewards of our clients’ capital, with the knowledge that shareowners are also business owners that can provide valuable input leading to the ultimate success of a company.
A Partnership Approach to Active Ownership
Company engagements are a key stewardship tool: we engage with CEOs, CFOs and other company leaders regularly about factors that could materially affect value creation.
ClearBridge Global Engagement Highlights 2025
Here we show the global scope of our company engagements in 2025 and what environmental, social and governance topics and subtopics within the ClearBridge ESG Materiality Framework™ mattered the most.
ClearBridge’s Engage for Impact Initiative
In many circumstances, engagements result in material, positive business outcomes and results — instances where our conversations with company management or feedback we provide helps initiate or improve sustainability practices at companies we own.
ClearBridge’s Approach to Proxy Voting
In voting proxies, we seek a judicious approach and are guided by general fiduciary principles. Our goal is to act prudently and solely in the best interest of the beneficial owners of the accounts we manage.
ClearBridge 2025 Proxy Voting Highlights
Along with direct and ongoing company engagement, proxy voting is an important part of our stewardship approach. ClearBridge’s commitment to this practice is evidenced by our 100% proxy voting record; in 2025, ClearBridge voted on 16,265 proposals.
Voting on Shareholder Proposals
Of the tools public equity investors can use to advocate for sustainable business practices, proxy voting is one of the more visible and powerful. We consider whether the ask from any shareholder proposal has merit and whether the wording in the proposal diminishes or enhances shareholder value.