Fiera Infrastructure becomes member of GRESB

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Jun 17, 2019, 07:30 ET

MONTREAL, June 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Fiera Infrastructure Inc. ("Fiera Infrastructure"), a leading global mid-market direct infrastructure investor and an affiliate of Fiera Capital Corporation (TSX: FSZ) ("Fiera Capital" or the "Company"), a leading independent asset manager, is pleased to announce that, as of June 3, 2019, it is a member of Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark ("GRESB"), the ESG ("environmental, social and governance") benchmark for real assets. GRESB assesses, scores and benchmarks ESG performance data in order to provide standardized and validated data to the capital markets.

In 2018, Fiera Infrastructure undertook an assessment of its ESG processes and commitments, and identified GRESB as an emerging global standard for infrastructure assets and fund managers to benchmark ESG practices. GRESB also stood out as a tool to enhance asset monitoring practices. The GRESB membership will require Fiera Infrastructure to report on detailed ESG practices and performance, which will then be benchmarked against global peers.

Fiera Infrastructure joins Fiera Properties, Fiera Capital's dedicated real estate investment platform, in this partnership. Fiera Properties has been a GRESB real estate fund manager participant for three years and achieved a Green Star rating in 2018.¹

"We are extremely pleased that both of our real asset platforms, Fiera Infrastructure and Fiera Properties, observe the standards put into place by GRESB," said John Valentini, President and Chief Executive Officer, Fiera Private Alternative Investments. "Investors are requesting additional transparency and GRESB aligns perfectly with our values of being good corporate citizens and meeting client expectations for socially responsible investing. What's more, the relationship between the performance of underlying assets and ESG investing is becoming increasingly evident."

"Becoming a member of GRESB marks a significant milestone for Fiera Infrastructure as we take a significant step towards leadership on ESG issues," said Alina Osorio, President of Fiera Infrastructure. "ESG considerations have always been top of mind in our investment sourcing process and our investment in Cory Riverside Energy in the United Kingdom is a great example. Being a GRESB infrastructure fund manager member allows us to apply a single, globally recognized ESG framework to all our real assets and we are truly proud to announce our membership."

"Fiera Capital has long been committed to promoting ESG factors and responsible investing and we are continually seeking to do better," said Vincent Duhamel, Global President and Chief Operating Officer. "We have been a United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment ("UN PRI") signatory since 2009. In 2018, we improved our UN PRI assessment scores, earning an A+ grade as an organization. We also created a new Global Corporate Social Responsibility Committee, an important milestone that enables Fiera Capital to better focus on CSR-related strategic initiatives across the entire firm, and launched our Global Respect and Inclusion Policy."²

More information on Fiera Infrastructure's investment in Cory Riverside Energy is available here.

More information on Fiera Capital's commitment to corporate social responsibility and responsible investing is available here.

Ratings and Rankings

Fiera Properties received a GRESB Green Star rating in 2018. The GRESB Green Star designation is based on an organization's absolute performance on the GRESB score, which is their overall measure of ESG performance on a scale of 0-100. The score is further divided into two dimensions: Management & Policy and Implementation & Measurement. Entities with scores higher than 50 on both the Implementation & Measurement and the Management & Policy dimensions are rated a "Green Star."
Fiera Capital Corporation received an A+ grade on its UN PRI Assessment for 2018. The A+ grade is the highest possible score and was awarded to 23% of signatories in 2018. UN PRI signatories are scored for each UN PRI principle and the scores are measured against those of other investment managers that have signed the UN PRI. PRI grades are based on information reported directly by PRI signatories, of which investment managers totaled 1,120 for 2018. All signatories are eligible to participate and must complete a questionnaire to be included. The underlying information submitted by signatories is not audited by the PRI or any other party acting on its behalf. Signatories report on their responsible investment activities by responding to asset-specific modules in the Reporting Framework. The Assessment Report includes indicator scores – summarizing the individual scores achieved and comparing them to the median; section scores – grouping similar indicator scores together into categories (e.g. policy, assurance, governance) and comparing them to the median; module scores – aggregating all the indicator scores within a module to assign one of six performance bands (from E to A+).

Awards and rankings are historical and do not reflect the experiences of any Fiera Capital clients. No award or ranking is indicative of past or future performance. Third party rankings and recognitions are no guarantee of future investment success and do not ensure that a client or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance or results. These ratings should not be constructed as an endorsement of the advisor by any client nor are they representative of any one client's evaluation.

General

This document is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offering of any security, product, service or fund. The information provided herein does not constitute investment advice and it should not be relied on as such. Some of the statements contained in this document are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance.

Risks of Alternative Investments

Alternative investments are speculative and involve a great deal of risk and are not suitable for all investors. No discussion with respect to specific companies should be considered a recommendation to purchase or sell any particular security/investment. The companies discussed do not represent all past investments. It should not be assumed that any of the investments discussed were or will be profitable, or that recommendations or decisions made in the future will be profitable.

Forward-Looking Information

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events and reflect management's expectations or beliefs regarding such future events, based on information currently available to management of Fiera Capital and its affiliates. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may", "will", "plans", "believes", "expects", "aims", "intends", "anticipates", "estimates", "projects" or words or terms of similar substance or the negative thereof.

The forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by the management of Fiera Capital and its affiliates as at the date the statements are made.

By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and a number of factors could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. In evaluating these statements, readers should specifically consider various factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement. These factors include, but are not limited to, market and general economic conditions and the nature of the financial services industry. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this document and neither Fiera Capital nor any of its affiliates assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances.

About Fiera Infrastructure

Fiera Infrastructure is a leading global mid-market direct infrastructure investor operating across all subsectors of the infrastructure asset class. Led by a team of highly experienced and specialized professionals, the firm leverages strong global relationships, with a local presence in Toronto, London and New York. Its rigorous approach to investment and asset management aligns with its long-term approach. Fiera Infrastructure has assets under management and commitments of C$1.6 billion, including an active interest in 27 infrastructure assets as of March 31, 2019. www.fierainfrastructure.com

About Fiera Properties Limited

Fiera Properties is a leading Canadian real estate investment management firm that provides direct real estate investment opportunities to institutional investors, foundation and endowment clients, and high net worth investors.

As at March 31, 2019, Fiera Properties had C$3.5 billion of assets under management. Through direct investment in exceptional real estate across Canada, Fiera Properties offers strategies that seek to produce stable, growing income as well as capital appreciation. Strategies are comprised of institutional-grade retail, office, industrial and multi-residential properties in all major markets in Canada.

For further information, including information about real estate assets the firm has invested in, please visit www.fieraproperties.com.

This release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer or solicitation to buy securities of any entity.

About Fiera Capital Corporation

Fiera Capital is a leading independent asset management firm with approximately C$144.9 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2019. The firm provides institutional, retail and private wealth clients with access to full-service integrated money management solutions across traditional and alternative asset classes. Clients and their portfolios derive benefit from Fiera Capital's depth of expertise, diversified offerings and outstanding service. Fiera Capital trades under the ticker FSZ on the Toronto Stock Exchange. www.fieracapital.com

In the U.S., asset management services are provided by the firm's U.S. affiliates who are investment advisers that are registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Registration with the SEC does not imply a certain level of skill or training.

Additional information about Fiera Capital Corporation, including the Firm's annual information form, is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

SOURCE Fiera Capital Corporation