This is the first pension fund management firm in Colombia to become a signatory of the PRI, as has been the case since November of last year with our core subsidiary SURA Asset Management.

Protección has become one of 20 companies in Latin America to become a signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) in the category of asset owners or institutional fund management firms, having embraced as part of its investment processes, the six principles that govern responsible investing, as endorsed by this global network.

The PRI is a global initiative that effectively promotes the corresponding environmental, social and corporate governance factors to be taken into account when evaluating investments and making the required decisions. It is led by various players from the financial industry, with the support of the United Nations. There are currently more than 2,800 signatories, including investment managers and asset owners (institutional fund management firms) and service providers.

"Our involvement in this initiative forms part of our commitment to sustainable development, this being is a cross-cutting element in Proteccion’s own business strategy, which dictates that financial returns are just as important as environmental, social and corporate governance aspects. In this case, through all those processes that form part of our investment management function, we are aiming to further sustainability and help build a better society. That is why being PRI signatories and incorporating these principles when it comes to making investment decisions, shall allow us to continue fulfilling this overarching purpose," stated Juan David Correa, Chief Executive Officer of Protección.

PRI also announced that Proteccion is the 500th entity on a global level, from the institutional category, to become a signatory of this initiative. In this way, we are committed to helping to improve the social and environmental impact caused by the companies in which we invest. We shall also uphold these principles from the standpoint of the finance industry so as to further the standards of responsible investing through initiatives such as

• Incorporating Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) criteria in our investment assessments, decision making and policies.
• Requiring adequate information on ESG issues from prospective investee entities being evaluated.
• Improving the effectiveness of our different teams of staff when implementing PRIs.
• Reporting the progress obtained with implementing these principles

Protección is one of the main players in the savings and investment industry in Colombia, managing more than 113 trillion Colombian pesos belonging to almost 8 million clients.