- This reflects the performance of Grupo SURA, as an investment manager, as well as Suramericana and SURA Asset Management along with their Latin American subsidiaries.
- The Company´s rating was higher than 99% of all the other companies evaluated from the Diversified Financial Services and Capital Markets sector, we being the only one of Latin American origin.
- In this year´s evaluation, we obtained outstanding results in aspects such as crisis and risk management, business ethics, environmental and social reporting, attracting and retaining talent as well as corporate citizenship.
- In addition to the aforementioned global ranking, Grupo SURA has also been listed with the DJSI Emerging Markets and the MILA indices this year.
Grupo SURA is amongst the leading organizations included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Global Index (DJSI) for the last 12 consecutive years, according to a report released this Friday by S&P. Previously, this ratings agency reviewed the environmental, social and economic performance of the SURA Business Group, through the Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA).
Consequently, this year Grupo SURA obtained a score of 76 points out of a total of 100, as a result of the individual scores obtained in the economic and governance (81), social (79) and environmental (55) dimensions. Thus, the Company ranks in sixth place among the 16 best evaluated organizations listed with the DJSI this year from the Diversified Financial Services and Capital Markets industry, a sector from which 118 companies were invited to participate. Likewise, Grupo SURA remains the only one of Latin American origin in the sector and continues to be listed with the Dow Jones Sustainability Emerging Markets and the MILA indices.
“The results of this evaluation allow us to identify opportunities and learnings in order to move ahead with our strategic objective of sustainable profitability, through a well-balanced management of our financial, social, human and environmental capital. It also reflects the efforts made by our Suramericana and SURA Asset Management subsidiaries to incorporate best practices which, at the end of the day, allow us to build trust among the different stakeholders with whom we interact," commented Gonzalo Pérez, CEO of Grupo SURA.
Consequently, this global evaluation evidences a responsible corporate performance and a coherent and comprehensive management of SURA's different lines of business, which in turn has a favorable impact on society. On this occasion, the implementation of international good practices in the following categories of the Corporate Sustainability Assessment received a particularly high rating:
- Risk and crisis management
- Business ethics.
- Environmental and social reporting
- Climate strategy.
- Attracting and retaining talent.
- Corporate Citizenship
- Human rights
Learnings and opportunities
As for the social dimension, our ability to attract and retain human talent was a favorable factor in the overall evaluation this backed by our efforts to protect jobs, create opportunities for young people between the ages of 20 and 30, as well as provide first job training.
Also, the Companies belonging to the SURA Business Group have directed their social investment efforts towards developing educational, civic and cultural capabilities. Since our inception, we, in SURA, have taken on a genuine and responsible commitment to building collective solutions to the challenges we face as a society. We constantly strive to strengthen human and institutional networks in order to build trust and work together towards common goals," added María Mercedes Barrera, Grupo SURA´s Head of Corporate Citizenship and the Director of the SURA Foundation in Colombia
As for the economic and governance dimension, the Company excelled in business ethics, thereby demonstrating our responsible corporate conduct as well as a coherent and comprehensive management of SURA's different lines of businesses, which in turn has a favorable impact on society.
The main challenge for Grupo SURA in this dimension lies with two specific aspects of its corporate governance, namely the seniority and the diversity of the members of its Board of Directors. This is due to the recent movements in this governing body in light of the change in the Company's shareholder structure. However, the measures taken during this period evidence the application of principles, rules and regulations as well as the governing bodies that make up the Company´s Ethics and Corporate Governance System.
As for the environmental dimension, Grupo SURA was among the top 7% of the evaluated companies from our sector in this aspect, with the best possible score in environmental reporting and a positive assessment of our climate strategy. The Company's greatest challenge with regard to this particular dimension is to move ahead with defining a path towards achieving carbon neutrality, based on measuring our financed carbon footprint (currently underway), as well implementing investment restrictions and underwriting policies relating to coal, oil and non-conventional gas.
A highly-rated investment portfolio with the DJSI
Finally, it is worth noting that other companies that form part of Grupo SURA's strategic portfolio, in its capacity as an investment manager, were included in the 2022 global index. Grupo Nutresa is the best evaluated company and a leader in the food industry; Grupo Argos was ranked in second place in the Construction Materials industry, where its cement subsidiary, Cementos Argos, obtained third place; and Bancolombia was ranked in 12th place out of a total of 25 banks included in this global index.
