Ethos Foundation, which specialises in socially responsible investing (SRI), and BCV, Switzerland’s fifth-largest universal bank, have entered into a long-term strategic partnership through which they will offer sustainable investment products. In the first phase, six Ethos funds will be managed by BCV’s Asset Management department.
On 3 November 2020, Ethos is organising a conference on corporate digital responsibility. This event, part of the Digital Days 2020 program, will bring together a panel of experts who will discuss the issues and challenges that concern both companies and responsible investors.
The 2020 general meetings saw the appointments of Laura Sadis and Marc Chesney to the board of Ethos Foundation and of Nicole Beiner to the board of Ethos Services SA. These nominations allow Ethos to strengthen its competences in strategic areas. The shareholders of Ethos Services SA also approved the statutory changes necessary for the B Corp certification obtained on 25 May 2020.
The B Corp label attests to the positive social and environmental impact of Ethos on society. It rewards almost 25 years of commitment to responsible investment and promotion of a stable and sustainable socio-economic environment for the benefit of present and future civil society. With 109 points, Ethos ranks directly among the best professional services companies involved in the B Corp movement.
Launched in December 2004, the Vontobel Fund (CH) – Ethos Equities Swiss Mid & Small Cap invests in small and medium-sized Swiss companies that set high standards in the management of their environmental, social and governance issues. 15 years after its launch, the fund's total assets exceeded CHF 675 million at the end of November 2019.
Building on the success of its first index ESCGI, launched in January 2017, Ethos will be offering a new index allowing investors to favor companies that adhere to best practices in corporate governance and environmental responsibility. In collaboration with SIX, this new index focuses on the 20 largest companies listed on the Swiss stock market.
While the members of the Swiss lower house were approving the counter-proposal to the responsible business initiative, Ethos Foundation organised a conference and debate on Thursday 13th June 2019 in Bern on the topic of "multinational companies and respect for human rights: ethical, economic and political issues". Almost 120 people attended the event.
The general meetings of Ethos Foundation and Ethos Services which took place in Berne on 12 June 2015 elected Dominique Biedermann, Ethos' CEO up to then, to the chairmanship of Ethos Foundation and Ethos Services. At the same time, he will quit the management of Ethos in order to concentrate on his new tasks. He succeeds Kaspar Müller, founding member of Ethos in 1997 and chairman since 2007, who decided not to present himself for re-election.