June 8, 2017

Communications & Stakeholder Relations
(916) 795-3991
Brad W. Pacheco, Deputy Executive Officer
Wayne Davis, Chief, Office of Public Affairs
Contact: Megan White, Information Officer
newsroom@calpers.ca.gov

SACRAMENTO, CA - The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) has won Responsible Investor's inaugural award for Innovation & Industry Leadership for its Environmental, Social, and Governance 5-Year Strategic Plan. The award was presented at the RI Europe 2017 conference in London, England.

"This award is a tremendous honor for CalPERS' work in sustainable investing," said Anne Simpson, CalPERS investment director, sustainability. "We work for our members, and we are proud to do this on their behalf. We are humbled to be nominated for this award from among the world's leading funds that we respect and admire tremendously for their work in this field."

CalPERS was selected from a pool of 130 nominees. The judging panel ranked nominees in the Asset Owner category for:

• Innovation
• Relevance to institutional investment
• Change-making potential
• Clarity

The CalPERS Board adopted the award-winning ESG strategic plan last year. The plan identifies six strategic initiatives that will direct staff's work across the entire portfolio through 2021. The initiatives are data and corporate reporting standards; UN PRI Montreal Pledge company engagement; diversity and inclusion; manager expectations; sustainable investment research; and private equity fee and profit sharing transparency. Each initiative has specific objectives, key performance indicators, and a timeline.

For more than eight decades, CalPERS has built retirement and health security for state, school, and public agency members who invest their lifework in public service. Our pension fund serves more than 1.8 million members in the CalPERS retirement system and administers benefits for more than 1.4 million members and their families in our health program, making us the largest defined-benefit public pension in the U.S. CalPERS' total fund market value currently stands at approximately $324 billion. For more information, visit www.calpers.ca.gov.