The following examples provide more detail about how we have contributed to these groups and broader industry organisations to advocate for well-functioning financial markets and improvements in corporate governance and sustainability regulation.
Memberships of such groups and industry bodies, and our ongoing input into relevant consultation responses, enable us to keep abreast of developing market-wide and systemic risks, ensuring that our policies and procedures remain relevant. We recognise, however, that these risks can sometimes change rapidly and the impact this can have on businesses.
In September 2024, the Investor Forum launched the I&IF, with the ambition of bringing together market participants to promote cooperation and enhance the effectiveness of the UK's capital markets, with a focus on sustainable value creation. Our involvement with the I&IF has been through the Steering Committee and Working Group, with a Baillie Gifford partner appointed to the Steering Committee and a senior analyst appointed to the Working Group, alongside representatives from across the investment chain. The Committee and Working Group met regularly throughout the year to guide the I&IF's strategy and provide input and feedback on its activities. At the end of 2025, the I&IF launched the Compass, a practical guide to support effective engagement across the investment chain.
During the year, we also contributed to I&IF-led research on pass-through voting, developed with academics from The London School of Economics and Political Science.
The OECD is an intergovernmental organisation that brings together policymakers and a range of stakeholders to establish evidence-based international standards and find solutions to social, economic and environmental challenges. Through our membership of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), we have access to the Business Advisory Body to the OECD ('Business at OECD'). This provides a unique opportunity to contribute to intergovernmental discussions and gain early insights into emerging areas of international standard-setting, policy and regulation.
In 2025, we participated through the Business at OECD Corporate Governance Committee and, separately, the Innovation and Technology Committee. In November, we participated in the OECD-Asia Roundtable of Corporate Governance and BIAC Southeast Asia Expert Group Meeting. As a panellist on a roundtable discussion focusing on ‘Board at the Heart of Sustainability Disclosure’, we discussed how regulatory frameworks, investor expectations and global standards are shaping board responsibilities for sustainability oversight and reporting. This allowed us to engage directly with regulators in the region, as well as stock exchanges, shareholder services, public policy bodies and auditors.