At Instar, ESG has always been fundamental to how we invest, manage risk and opportunity across our platform and define our corporate purpose, which is to enrich people’s lives. Instar’s second annual ESG report highlights our strategy, initiatives and measurements across our platform that contribute to long-term value creation for our stakeholders and the communities in which we operate. Read the full report here.
Our middle market investment strategy focuses on distinctive, scalable businesses delivering differentiated essential services and solutions to partners, customers and communities.
Instar’s ESG policy integrates ESG considerations throughout our investment and ownership lifecycle with a focus on driving the value of our portfolio companies, future-proofing our platform and enabling a more sustainable, equitable and resilient future. We focus on the sustainability themes that matter the most to our business, our people and our stakeholders, including governance and ethics; stakeholder engagement; climate change; health and safety; and diversity, equity and inclusion. As public supporters of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), we are working towards our own implementation of the TCFD recommendations to increase transparency on climate-related risks and opportunities within financial markets.
Instar is a signatory to the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment.
We strive to align our ESG initiatives with the relevant United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and seek to invest in companies that are the best at what they do and essential to the functioning, fairness, health and economic prosperity of society. Our purpose as an organization is to enrich people’s lives through investing, engaging with and supporting our employees and creating value for stakeholders in a manner that contributes to broader social and economic progress. It reflects our conviction in putting people first and elevating sustainability as a core component of our culture and business strategy.
Our investment stewardship provides a strong governance foundation and strategic guidance to help the great companies we invest in become even better.
We evaluate and integrate ESG considerations and impacts throughout our investment process and ongoing portfolio management initiatives, including monitoring material portfolio-wide and sector-specific risks and identifying opportunities for each company to unleash their full potential to build value.*
Connectedness and belonging are inherent to our corporate culture and purpose.
We embrace diversity, equity and inclusion for innovation and growth. We promote equality of opportunity and seek different perspectives to challenge conventional approaches and continuously improve our company’s performance and progress. We believe that diversity and inclusion help us drive innovation, make better decisions, achieve effective stewardship of our business and portfolio companies and enable our people to thrive.
*Instar Asset Management Inc., is offering funds which promote environmental and / or social characteristics as further described in the relevant funds’ offering documentation as well as periodic and / or annual reports. Funds currently managed by Instar Asset Management Inc. integrate a sustainability risk assessment in line with Article 6 SFDR and consequently do not take into account the European Union’s criteria for environmentally sustainable economic activities.
The Private Investor Perspective Part One: Canadian VC & PE in 2017 & Beyond
In the first part of a new series on Canadian venture capital and private equity, the CVCA has engaged its members to inspect the market, from the investor’s perspective, to truly capture the expert viewpoint.
Broadening the Infrastructure Investment Framework
Gregory smith of InstarAGF looks at how innovation in partnerships creates a compelling value proposition for institutional investors.
Infrastructure Bank will Launch by Year-end: InstarAGF CEO
Gregory Smith, president and CEO of InstarAGF Asset Management, joins BNN’s Jon Erlichman live from the Toronto Global Forum for a look at why he thinks the Infrastructure Bank will get off the ground this year despite Ottawa delaying billions in spending.
InstarAGF CEO Confident Ottawa’s Infrastructure Bank on the Right Path
Gregory Smith, president and CEO of InstarAGF Asset Management, joins BNN’s Jon Erlichman for a look at what’s taking shape with Ottawa’s infrastructure bank and plans as Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi meets with his provincial counterparts on how to best distribute cash to the provinces for construction.
Broadening the Investment Framework for Canadian Infrastructure
The CVCA sat down with Greg Smith, President and CEO of Toronto-based private capital firm InstarAGF, to discuss what the new infrastructure bank means for Canadian communities and the quality of our national infrastructure, and more broadly, the private investment ecosystem in Canada.
Empowering Urban Communities
Our cities are increasingly challenged to accommodate rapid urbanisation and its impacts on land, resource use, city design and infrastructure quality. District energy systems are helping to solve these modern infrastructure problems, writes InstarAGF’s Gregory Smith.
Roundtable Canada: If You Build it
Canada’s Liberal government is in the midst of creating an infrastructure bank. But announcements and execution are two different things. How will the bank move Canadian infrastructure investing forward? Joel Kranc and four key industry participants find out.
Building North America’s Cities Through Midmarket Investments
Recently, Salika Khizer, managing director of infrastructure at Institutional Real Estate, Inc., spoke with Gregory Smith of InstarAGF. The following is an excerpt of that conversation.
Building Partnerships for the 21st Century
Quality infrastructure is necessary for communities and countries to thrive. As rapid urbanization continues globally, sound infrastructure serves as a major factor in where people decide to live, work and do business. Moreover, it attracts the capital and talent that a city’s potential depends on.
Finding Value: The North American Infrastructure Opportunity
Gregory Smith of InstarAGF outlines how increasing urbanisation and factors such as the drive for green energy production and distribution are creating opportunities for investors.