This part of the Annual Report serves as Insight’s statement regarding Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006. Section 414 of the UK 2006 Companies Act (the “Act”) requires the inclusion of a section 172 statement, describing how the directors have had due regard to those matters set out in section 172 of the Act during the period in question.
Insight's Mission Statement
Insight's mission is to offer investors a different approach to achieving their investment goals; one that prioritises the certainty of meeting their chosen objectives in contrast to the traditional focus on maximising return and minimising volatility. We believe that our emphasis on certainty, a dimension largely neglected by the industry, provides investors with an improved investment experience, resulting in a more secure retirement or more confidence in their ability to acquire specific assets in the future. Furthermore, we tailor portfolios directly to clients' desired outcome rather than investing in generic products that benefit the manager more than the investor, further enhancing the chances of success.
We are committed to prioritising our clients' interests above all else in the conduct of our business and to delivering high quality investment solutions and service. Our business model rests on a simple equation: high quality leads to client advocacy which translates into business success. We, therefore, focus our efforts on delivering quality and are always prepared to forego business opportunities that conflict or weaken our ability to do so.
Focusing only on what we are good at rather than being everything for everyone is a key requirement for achieving that, so is working in partnership with our clients and their advisors. This allows us to better understand their needs and provide them with the tools and professional education they need for their investment journey. We also pledge to engage with relevant official and regulatory bodies to represent their interest and help find solutions that balance their benefits with those of society at large.
Aligning all stakeholders' interests is essential for the long-term success of any organisation. We align the interests of our clients and shareholders by taking a long-term view of the success of the business, allowing us to focus our energies on delivering to our clients. A significant portion of our staff's compensation is deferred and held in company shares.
By giving our employees an economic stake in the business, we help align their interest with those of the other stakeholders.
As stewards of society’s savings, we also believe we have broader responsibilities to the world in which we operate. This starts with ensuring that our investment processes effectively consider financially material risks and opportunities within relevant strategies. We also manage portfolios that go beyond this for clients who have asked us to support their sustainability outcomes.
None of this would be possible without the ability to attract and motivate the right employees. We do not believe that any gender, race, or group of any kind has a monopoly on the talent that we need to succeed. We also believe that diverse groups make more informed and balanced decisions. We are therefore committed to looking for talent everywhere and ensuring that every individual has the opportunity and support to succeed at Insight.
We strive to create an ego free and collaborative environment where everyone is held accountable, but success is shared collectively. An environment where employees can speak up to share their views or challenge others’ views. We encourage continuous improvement at the individual level as well as the business level and make it a point to learn from our mistakes. Much of this boils down to putting the principle of "doing the right thing" at the heart of all our decisions.
The following summarises how Insight’s Board fulfils its duties under Section 172 and how the company balances the interests of its stakeholders and considers the long-term consequences of the Board’s decision-making.
Engagement with key stakeholders
Clients
Insight recognises that by engaging with clients, it is able to foster long-term relationships with them and deliver products and services that meet their individual needs.
Insight conducts an annual summit, providing an opportunity for clients to connect with the Insight team and to network with their peers in an informal environment. The theme for the 2025 Insight Summit was ‘A New World’. While the themes vary annually, they remain focused on topical industry subjects.
Over 2025, Insight has continued to advocate on behalf of its UK defined benefit (DB) pension scheme clients, engaging with policymakers and industry bodies through dialogue and consultation submissions. Insight has been vocal in the media and in its communications to policymakers about its belief that trustees and sponsors of UK DB schemes should be encouraged and enabled to run on their schemes for the long term, thereby promoting and enhancing the security of pensions for members and the interests of corporate sponsors.
From an industry recognition perspective, Coalition Greenwich awarded Insight ‘Best Asset Manager for Institutional Investment in the UK’ in 2025. Insight has now been recognised as the most awarded manager in the history of this U.K. institutional investors study.
Insight continues to maintain strong relationships with consultants, as evidenced in the Coalition Greenwich UK Investment Consultant Research 2025. Insight was ranked in first place for both Overall LDI Quality and Overall Fixed Income Quality. Insight has now been ranked in first place for Overall LDI Quality for 15 consecutive years and has been ranked in first place for Overall Fixed Income Quality in 10 of the last 12 years.
The Insight Board continues to constructively challenge the business to maintain this high level of advocacy, including a review of overall investment performance delivered for clients.
Employees
Insight’s employees are central to the delivery of Insight’s offering, and the Insight Board seeks to promote a culture which values client focus. Insight employs external expertise to assess employee sentiment, communicating the outcomes back to the Board.
Examples of activities to support inclusion and employee engagement include the employee affinity groups, maintaining a flat management structure to allow for efficient escalation of issues and awareness-raising around Insight’s speaking up policy.
Insight undertakes frequent internal communications to keep employees fully aware of developments in the business’s strategy. These communications include all employee ‘town hall’ video conferences, led by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), focusing on the financial and economic factors affecting the performance of the company.
The wellbeing of Insight’s employees is a key focus and the company provides tools, policies, and guides that support employee wellbeing, mental health, and resilience, including training courses, tips, and an employee assistance programme.
Insight continues to offer hybrid and remote working programmes to provide flexibility to colleagues and to attract and retain diverse talent. These programmes include: i) a hybrid working model; ii) an extended remote working programme; iii) a parent leave policy; and iv) global caregiver leave.
In recognition of the objective to attract and retain talent, Insight’s Board was presented with the talent and succession strategy in 2025; designed to provide opportunities to those employees who have demonstrated both the potential and ambition to develop their skills and capabilities with the potential to take on expanded leadership roles within Insight.
Inclusion strategy
Insight’s Board recognises that well integrated teams deliver better outcomes. Insight’s mission is to ensure that the company continues to cultivate its culture of inclusion, where people with different perspectives and backgrounds can thrive and collaborate.
The Insight strategy emphasises three focus areas; Our People, Our Culture and Our Reputation; acknowledging that well integrated teams deliver better outcomes and foster a culture of belonging.
Insight’s approach to a culture of inclusion can be demonstrated by the following examples:
- Colleagues have set up affinity groups which operate firm-wide to build community within the firm and shine a spotlight on opportunities to further improve the employee experience. These employee-led groups are open to all and supported by senior representatives who have stepped forward to sponsor and advocate for them.
- Insight has strengthened its recruitment processes and is working with external partners to enable talented people from all backgrounds to have the opportunity to break into our industry. These changes are helping Insight access a broader talent pool.
- Leaders and employees can access curated, self-paced courses and a library of micro-learnings to support skill-building, broaden perspectives and strengthen a culture where all thrive.
Insight’s Board is kept informed of the company’s efforts in addressing these issues and monitors developments in this area.
Impact on the Community and Environment
Insight has a corporate social and responsibility programme which focuses on three pillars: our markets, our people and our world.
Insight leads a community impact programme which encompasses colleague donation and community volunteering. All employees are entitled to take two volunteering days a year, partnering interests or skills with a broad selection of charities.
Insight partners with a series of external initiatives that support communities, for example the charity RedSTART. This partnership provides the opportunity for Insight employees to volunteer and utilise their financial literacy to develop the skills of young people.
Employees take part in fundraising activities in support of a number of charities globally with a common theme of meeting basic needs.
High Standards of Business Conduct
Insight has an unwavering commitment to stewardship, and during 2025 has conducted the following activities:
- Actively engaged on major issues with direct relevance to the company’s clients, with policymakers, peers and other stakeholders, often achieving clear results, on topics such as the future of UK defined benefit pension funds.
- Maintained an extensive engagement programme with debt issuers raising financially material environmental, social and governance issues and actively encouraged improvement in practices.
- Embedded a net-zero approach in two more responsible horizons strategies, building on Insight’s prime net-zero alignment framework, which categorises companies according to their commitment to or alignment with net-zero principles.
- Expanded the responsible horizons range with the responsible horizons buy and maintain bond fund, in response to client demand for a buy-and-maintain corporate bond strategy that formally applies responsible investment parameters.
- Insight has revised its impact bond assessment framework to reflect sectoral guidance.
- Insight has expanded its prime net zero ratings to include sovereign alongside corporate issuers.
Furthermore, the Insight Board recognises the importance of risk management in the execution of its strategy and has defined the levels of risk acceptable to the company. This is formalised and monitored through a risk appetite statement.
Insight’s Board retains overall responsibility for approval of the company’s risk appetite and strategy, including capital adequacy and liquidity of financial resources. Insight’s Board Risk Committee is responsible for ensuring that frameworks exist to identify, assess, manage, and monitor risk; and for considering the material outputs from these frameworks.
Insight’s Board is responsible for and committed to good corporate governance. In fulfilment of its responsibilities the Board delegates certain functions of oversight, risk mitigation, regulatory compliance, remuneration and other obligatory functions to committees within Insight’s governance framework and, in certain instances, empowers them to make decisions on its behalf.
About the Insight Responsibility Oversight Committee (IROC)
IROC is regarded as a key internal committee which provides oversight and accountability for sustainability related activities and their application across all business lines and investment activities. The committee’s objectives include the implementation of strategic priorities and the application of appropriate oversight to ensure that responsible investment performance aligns with Insight’s organisational objectives.
The Board was presented in 2025 with a training session to enhance its understanding of the key risks associated with sustainability and market and regulatory expectations.
Regulatory Bodies & Suppliers
The Insight Board recognises that as part of the objective to promote the long-term success of the company, maintaining a high standard of business conduct when dealing with stakeholders such as regulatory bodies and vendors is vital. Insight’s interactions with these stakeholders throughout 2025 are set out below.
Regulators
Insight regularly collaborates with regulators and other market participants in order to contribute to fair, transparent and robust markets. The Insight Board encourages management to maintain effective engagements with bodies such as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Central Bank of Ireland, (CBI), ESMA, European Commission, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the Bank of England (BoE) as well as the UK Treasury. The Insight Board is kept informed on any material regulatory changes which could impact the long-term success of the business.
The Insight Board is kept fully informed by Insight Compliance on key regulatory engagement and communication as part of the Board reporting process, enabling appropriate Board challenge and discussion on the key regulatory engagements applicable to the firm. Additionally, the Board is fully supportive of Insight participating in various engagements with regulators on potential new guidance and regulations. Examples of regulatory development topics that Insight has engaged on with regulators during the period include the Bank of England’s consultation on gilt repo markets.
Suppliers
Insight’s Board oversees the functioning of the company's operations including any operational services provided by third parties or affiliates.
As part of its commitment to maintaining operational resilience in its investment management activities, Insight has worked closely with key suppliers to ensure continuity and stability of services. This collaboration involved robust engagement with critical third-party providers to better understand their operational frameworks and align these with Insight’s resilience objectives.
Insight has conducted joint simulation exercises with key suppliers to test these frameworks and to identify potential vulnerabilities, refine response plans, and enhance communication protocols.
Additionally, Insight regularly reviews its suppliers’ contingency plans, ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements and best practices. These measures not only bolstered resilience but also reinforced the company’s commitment to safeguarding clients’ investments and supporting long-term stakeholder interests.
The BNY Accounts Payable Team ensures payments are made on behalf of Insight to suppliers in a controlled manner and on a timely basis. Insight publishes data in line with the Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance UK Regulation.
The Insight Board has a key interest in maintaining meaningful relationships with key regulators and suppliers and therefore seeks to be kept informed on material developments with engagements with these stakeholders.
Shareholder Relationship
Insight is a wholly owned subsidiary within BNY. Insight maintains an open relationship with BNY, where ideas and strategic objectives are exchanged, ensuring that board members remain aligned with the strategic objectives and corporate values of its shareholder whenever appropriate.
The Insight Board is committed to ensuring that due regard to the interests of its stakeholders is taken into account during the decision-making process.
