Actares

Actares is a Swiss non-profit association dedicated to shareholder activism and responsible investment. Founded in 2000 through the merger of two earlier Swiss shareholder groups — Canes (Convention d'actionnaires de Nestlé) and VkA (Association des actionnaires critiques de UBS) — it was initiated by figures including the ethicists André Biéler and Édouard Dommen. The association's purpose is to promote responsible shareholding, with a particular emphasis on sustainable development and on discrimination against women, and its preferred method of action is intervention at shareholders' general meetings. Actares focuses mainly on the largest companies of the Swiss Market Index (SMI). It brings the concerns of its members — described as social, environmental and economic sustainability — directly to the companies concerned. It does not issue buy or sell recommendations on shares; instead it seeks to influence corporate conduct through dialogue, voting and public pressure. The association has been characterised in the media as the 'bad conscience of Swiss capitalism' and brings together roughly 1,300 members, most of them private individuals, whether or not they hold shares. Over the years Actares has taken notable positions on a range of high-profile Swiss corporate issues. In 2008 it opposed Roche over organ trafficking in China; in 2010 it pressured UBS to pursue legal action against executives deemed responsible for major losses; in 2013 it opposed the planned severance package for the chairman of Novartis and supported the Minder initiative; and in 2015 it opposed the merger between Holcim and Lafarge and published a survey on corporate donations by Swiss companies to political parties. The association has been led by Roby Tschopp from 2005 and by Nicole Weydknecht from 2017. As a membership-based NGO rather than a commercial enterprise, Actares operates as an advocacy and engagement platform for responsible shareholding in Switzerland. Its work sits within the broader field of socially responsible investment (SRI) and corporate governance, alongside organisations such as Public Eye.

Actares was created in 2000 on the initiative of several personalities, including the ethicists André Biéler and Édouard Dommen. It was formed through the merger of two Swiss shareholder associations: Canes (Convention d'actionnaires de Nestlé) and VkA (Association des actionnaires critiques de UBS). The new association was designed to encourage companies to orient their activities towards sustainable development, acting on economic, ecological and social levels, and focusing essentially on the main companies of the Swiss Market Index (SMI). Its stated purpose is the promotion of responsible shareholding, particularly with regard to sustainable development and discrimination against women, and its preferred means of action is intervention during shareholders' general meetings. The association has been described as the 'bad conscience of Swiss capitalism'. It brings together around 1,300 members, most of them private individuals, whether or not they own shares. It issues no buy or sell recommendations, but seeks to bring its members' concerns regarding social, environmental and economic sustainability to the companies concerned. Leadership of the association changed over time: Roby Tschopp led it from 2005, and Nicole Weydknecht took over from 2017. Actares has taken a number of notable actions. In 2008 it opposed Roche in connection with organ trafficking in China. In 2010 it put pressure on UBS to push the bank to initiate proceedings against executives considered responsible for major losses, even considering filing a complaint. In 2013 it opposed the planned severance payment for the chairman of Novartis and supported the Minder initiative. In 2015 it opposed the merger between Holcim and Lafarge, and in the same year it published a survey on donations by Swiss companies to political parties.

• 2017

  Nicole Weydknecht becomes director of the association.

• 2015

  Actares opposes the Holcim-Lafarge merger and publishes a survey on Swiss corporate donations to political parties.

• 2013

  Actares opposes the planned severance for the Novartis chairman and supports the Minder initiative.

• 2010

  Actares pressures UBS to pursue legal action against executives over major losses.

• 2008

  Actares opposes Roche over organ trafficking in China.

• 2005

  Roby Tschopp becomes director of the association.

• 2000

  Actares founded through the merger of Canes and VkA, initiated by figures including André Biéler and Édouard Dommen.

Non-profit shareholder-activism association; 'bad conscience of Swiss capitalism'; promotes responsible shareholding and sustainability at major SMI companies.

• Shareholder engagement at general meetings

• Dialogue with SMI companies on sustainability

• Surveys and research on corporate conduct

1. 1Actares official websiteactares.ch
2. 2Actares on Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Actares on French Wikipediafr.wikipedia.org