About The council of institutional investors
The Council of Institutional Investors (CII) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association that represents U.S. asset owners, primarily pension funds, state and local entities charged with investing public assets and endowments and foundations. With combined assets of $4 trillion, CII's associate members include non-U.S. asset owners with more than $4 trillion in assets and a range of asset management firms with more than $35 trillion under management.
CII is a leading voice for effective corporate governance, strong shareholder rights, and transparent and fair capital markets. The organization works to promote policies that enhance long-term value for investors by advocating for reforms that improve corporate accountability, transparency, and sustainability.
One of the key areas where CII has been active is in promoting board diversity. The organization believes that diverse boards are better equipped to understand the needs of all stakeholders and make informed decisions that benefit the company as a whole. To this end, CII has developed best practices for board diversity recruitment and has urged companies to adopt these practices.
Another area where CII has been active is in promoting shareholder engagement. The organization believes that shareholders have an important role to play in holding companies accountable for their actions. To this end, CII has developed guidelines for shareholder engagement on issues such as executive compensation, climate change risk disclosure, political spending disclosure, cybersecurity risk oversight.
CII also advocates for reforms aimed at improving the quality of financial reporting by companies. The organization believes that high-quality financial reporting is essential to maintaining investor confidence in capital markets. To this end, CII supports efforts to strengthen accounting standards and improve auditor independence.
In addition to its advocacy work on behalf of institutional investors,Council also provides educational resources designed to help its members stay informed about developments affecting their investments.Council offers conferences,symposiums,and webinars throughout the year covering topics such as ESG investing,strategic planning,and fiduciary responsibilities.The Council also publishes research reports on various topics related to institutional investing,such as executive compensation trends or proxy voting guidelines.
Overall,Council plays an important role in representing institutional investors' interests by advocating policies aimed at enhancing long-term value creation while promoting transparency,fairness,and accountability within corporations.Council's work helps ensure that capital markets remain efficient,effective,and trustworthy,enabling investors around the world access opportunities they need grow their wealth over time."