Corporate Responsibility

We are focused on continuous improvement, striving to do better by building a long-term, sustainable company that focuses on our clients, shareholders, employees, customers and our community.

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Responsible Investing & ESG

We approach responsible investing and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors as more than just buzzwords. Investing responsibly is of critical importance in the small and microcap sector in which many companies do not face the same level of scrutiny than that of their large cap peers.

Spheria’s ESG process has been embedded within the investment process since day one and is continually evolving. Our integrated approach to ESG involves formally engaging with companies on the themes highlighted in their ESG scoring system. Both our stock analysts and ESG specialists participate in the engagement meetings with the results of our discussions informing investment decisions.

In early 2020, we expanded our approach to ESG to incorporate the outcomes of a 31-point ESG questionnaire into our valuations to form a broader view on ESG risk. We also made a commitment to not conduct business with any involvement in human slavery, human trafficking or child labour.

We believe our ESG research and proactive corporate engagement strategy positions our portfolios for long-term success. Our close relationship with management teams thanks to long holding periods, coupled with an array of substantial holdings, gives us a competitive advantage when it comes to corporate engagement. Through corporate engagement, we have been successful in challenging management to achieve best practice and drive positive ESG outcomes.

Download our 2023 ESG ReportDownload our Responsible Investment PolicyDownload our Proxy Voting Policy

PRI Signatory

Spheria has been a signatory of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI) since 2019. The principles promote the inclusion of ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes and is used by Spheria as a blueprint in their ESG investment processes.

Climate Action 100+ Signatory

Spheria is a member of the Climate Action 100+ group, an investor-led initiative to ensure the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters take necessary action on climate change.

Community Investment

Through our support of the Australian Alzheimer’s Research Foundation (AARF),  Lighthouse Foundation and volunteering initiatives, we seek to be active contributors to our community.

  • Workplace
    giving

    Workplace giving

    We offer a Workplace Giving program to our employees, facilitating donations to charities of choice via pre-tax salary deductions. Monthly donations (up to predetermined capped amounts) are matched in full by employers, who also cover associated administration and due diligence costs.

  • Employee
    Volunteering

    Employee Volunteering

    We actively encourage employee fundraising and volunteering. Current volunteering partners include the Rockpool Dining Group’s Hope Delivering program. The Spheria team has assisted in the preparation and distribution of meals from the program’s Sydney hub (pictured).

    Since March 2020, Hope Delivery has been preparing meals for international hospitality visa workers, the homeless and disadvantaged severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Sydney and Melbourne. It is also providing meals to OzHarvest who work with the homeless and underprivileged people in our community.

  • Strategic
    Sponsorships

    Strategic Sponsorships

    Spheria sponsors events where there is a strategic relevance to our business operations. We also collaborate with the PNI Foundation to donate directly to partners in support of initiatives which resonate closely with our employees and core values.

Workplace Giving

We offer a Workplace Giving program to our employees, facilitating donations to charities of choice via pre-tax salary deductions. Monthly donations (up to predetermined capped amounts) are matched in full by employers, who also cover associated administration and due diligence costs.

Employee Volunteering

We actively encourage employee fundraising and volunteering. Current volunteering partners include the Rockpool Dining Group’s Hope Delivering program. The Spheria team has assisted in the preparation and distribution of meals from the program’s Sydney hub (pictured).

Since March 2020, Hope Delivery has been preparing meals for international hospitality visa workers, the homeless and disadvantaged severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Sydney and Melbourne. It is also providing meals to OzHarvest who work with the homeless and underprivileged people in our community.

Strategic Sponsorships

Spheria sponsors events where there is a strategic relevance to our business operations. We also collaborate with the Pinnacle Charitable Foundation to donate directly to partners in support of initiatives which resonate closely with our employees and core values.

Alzheimer’s Research Australia (ARA)

Spheria has renewed funding to underpin our partnership with the Perth based Alzheimer’s Research Australia (ARA). Funding is helping researchers study the very early onset of Alzheimer’s disease, which is debilitating, strikes at random and is incurable. Currently there is no effective treatment for Alzheimer’s, and with 1,800 Australians diagnosed with dementia every week, the disease remains the second leading cause of death in Australia.

Analysis into early stage cell changes at the onset of Alzheimer’s – to better understand its origins – has been identified as essential to both develop the most effective treatment of the disease, and in the search for a cure. Results of the studies being funded will contribute new knowledge about the underlying causes of the disease, how it develops and its progression.

The ARA has a vision of a world in which Alzheimer’s no longer exists, and a mission to support leading edge research that makes it both treatable and preventable.

Visit alzheimersresearch.org.au for more information.

Lighthouse Foundation

As a further way of supporting acutely disadvantaged young people, Spheria have established a new Victorian based partnership with the Lighthouse Foundation. Lighthouse helps young vulnerable people in Victoria who are homeless and who typically come from backgrounds of long-term neglect and abuse. More than 1,000 kids have secured the assistance they require to achieve a lifelong sense of belonging, the opportunity to heal and the capacity to thrive.

Within a safe home and a community to belong to, these young people are nurtured by the Lighthouse Model of Care. One of the main anchors for their experience – during and for as long as they wish following their time at Lighthouse – is the dedicated Resource Centre. Funding enabled this critically important hub to be expanded with more offerings and services. Since the reopening of the Centre, funding has been directed towards Lighthouse’s Peer Support program and the Lighthouse Community Connect Program.

Visit lighthousefoundation.org.au for more information.

We Are Mobilise

We Are Mobilise was created to journey alongside those experiencing homelessness and explore how to best make a tangible impact in the lives of those in need. Mobilise is committed to ‘connection for change’ – providing a genuine human connection, time, and companionship for people experiencing homelessness – with the view to creating transformational change.

Spheria formed a partnership with Mobilise in support of the Kickstarter Program. The Mobilise Kickstarter program provides direct rental assistance for eight weeks, plus bond payments, to help people at risk of homelessness to access or maintain a rental property. Providing access to appropriate and affordable housing – and in turn creating autonomy over one’s finances – can be a life-altering experience. And when financial assistance payments increase, people seeking help for financial stress decreases. The financial ‘breathing room’ that Kickstarter provides also allows participants to amass a small amount of savings, often for the first time, which provides an extra layer of financial security they wouldn’t otherwise have.

Visit wearemobilise.org.au/ for more information.