American Century Investments Further Commits To Sustainability With Creation Of Leadership Positions And Sustainable Investment Council

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May 25, 2021, 13:00 ET

KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As a next step in advancing its commitment to corporate responsibility and sustainable investing, American Century Investments, a $230 billion* global investment manager, has created new sustainability groups and announces the appointment of their leaders. Matt Oldroyd, CFA, CAIA, senior vice president and head of client portfolio management, has been named head of corporate sustainability, and Patricia Ribeiro, senior vice president and senior portfolio manager, is chair of the newly formed sustainable investment council.

"Sustainability isn't just something we practice; it is part of who we are as a company and as global citizens," said Jonathan Thomas, American Century president and chief executive officer. "With an ownership structure that directs over 40% of its profits to fund medical research, we attract employees motivated to make a difference and develop investment teams who make Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria a fundamental part of their analysis. Matt and Patricia's appointments as leaders of our corporate sustainability efforts and our new sustainable investment council, respectively, demonstrate our commitment to evolving and growing in this important area."

Matt Oldroyd, Head of Corporate Sustainability

In his new role, Oldroyd will champion sustainability initiatives that support the firm's brand and culture by working with leaders across the firm in human resources, legal, distribution and marketing, facilities, and in concert with American Century's diversity, equity & inclusion (DE&I) committee, sustainable investment council and ESG and investment stewardship team. He will support American Century's goals to be a responsible corporate citizen, with direct financial impact on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #3 (good health and well-being).

"Corporate sustainability and ESG investing are fast-evolving topics around the globe; Matt will be responsible for understanding the external environment and funneling insights back into our firm," Thomas said.

In addition to his new responsibilities, Oldroyd manages a team of client portfolio managers who represent portfolio management in communicating investment strategies and results to the firm's clients and investors. He also is a member of American Century's expanded management committee and its investment leadership team who provides governance to ESG initiatives for the firm. Previously, he has held roles as client portfolio manager for global value strategies and as relationship manager for institutional clients. Before joining American Century Investments in 2000, Oldroyd was at J.P. Morgan in asset management. He has worked in the investment industry since 1994. Oldroyd earned a bachelor's degree in international studies and German from American University and spent a year on post-graduate scholarship at the University of Cologne in Germany. He is a CFA® charterholder, holds the CAIA® designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and the CAIA Association.

Patricia Ribeiro, Chair of Sustainable Investment Council

As council chair, Ribeiro will lead a select group of portfolio managers who represent all the firm's investment disciplines. The council provides a platform to bring client insights back into the investment organization to accelerate the teams' progress in sustainable investing. It will also partner with American Century's dedicated ESG and investment stewardship team to further leverage its expertise, augment training and enhance investment capabilities.

"Patricia is recognized by clients around the world as a leader in both ESG and impact investing," said Zhang. "She brings credibility and authenticity to our ESG investing practices, coupled with significant industry experience."

Sustainable investing remains a strategic focus and firmwide commitment, according to Zhang. "We continue to add resources and adapt processes to optimally support this initiative," he said. "Establishing the council, comprised of investment practitioners, is the next step in this evolution. We believe our portfolio managers are in the best position to engage with clients on their evolving ESG needs and objectives, understand the practical application of sustainable investing and drive best practices throughout their teams. We anticipate continuing to grow and add talent around sustainable investing."

Ribeiro joined American Century Investments in 2006 and has nearly 30 years of investment experience. As senior portfolio manager, she leads a seven-member team overseeing both ESG-integrated and impact strategies focused on emerging markets. Ribeiro is a member of American Century's expanded management committee and its DE&I committee. Prior to joining the firm, she was an independent consultant for Medley Global Advisors, LLC, in New York and Black Arrow Capital Management, LLC, in Greenwich, Conn. Prior to that, she was head of Latin American research at Citigroup Asset Management, a team she created and managed as part of the firm's global research group. She also served as head of Latin American equity research for J.P. Morgan Investment Management. She has worked in the financial industry since 1984. Ribeiro holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Rutgers University.

For more information on American Century's sustainability practices and ways it makes an impact through how it manages money, develops its workforce and lifts its communities, you can read its Corporate Responsibility Report.

About American Century Investments
American Century Investments is a leading global asset manager focused on delivering investment results and building long-term client relationships while supporting research that can improve human health and save lives. Founded in 1958, American Century Investments' 1,400 employees serve financial professionals, institutions, corporations and individual investors from offices in New York; London; Frankfurt; Hong Kong; Sydney; Mountain View, Calif.; and Kansas City, Mo. Jonathan S. Thomas is president and chief executive officer, and Victor Zhang serves as chief investment officer. Delivering investment results to clients enables American Century Investments to distribute over 40 percent of its dividends to the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, a 500-person, non-profit basic biomedical research organization. The Institute owns more than 40 percent of American Century Investments and has received dividend payments of $1.7 billion since 2000. For more information about American Century Investments, visit www.americancentury.com.

A strategy or emphasis on environmental, social and governance factors ("ESG") may limit the investment opportunities available to a portfolio. Therefore, the portfolio may underperform or perform differently than other portfolios that do not have an ESG investment focus. A portfolio's ESG investment focus may also result in the portfolio investing in securities or industry sectors that perform differently or maintain a different risk profile than the market generally or compared to underlying holdings that are not screened for ESG standards.

Sustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. There are many different approaches to Sustainability, with motives varying from positive societal impact, to wanting to achieve competitive financial results, or both. Methods of sustainable investing include active share ownership, integration of ESG factors, thematic investing, impact investing and exclusion, among others.

*Assets under supervision as of 5/24/21.

Contact: Laura Kouri
(816) 516-7729

SOURCE American Century Investments