Stewardship reporting is now routine. Codes and regulations demand it.
On paper, that builds trust. In practice, many reports are long, process-heavy, and hard to compare. The result? Frustration. Beneficiaries can’t tell leaders from laggards. Asset managers see reporting as a burden. Regulators doubt whether box-ticking delivers real transparency. For asset owners wanting to demonstrate real influence, the current approach falls short.
From mandatory disclosure to market differentiation
This is the opportunity. Reporting can be more than paperwork. It can be leadership. Long-term investors face pressure to prove discipline and impact. Reporting is their most visible signal.
The shift starts with sharper questions: Did engagement drive change? Can stakeholders see what shifted, not just what was asked? Does stewardship link clearly to long-term value?
This echoes the PRI’s Active Ownership 2.0 call for investors to prioritise outcomes and systemic impact. Making clear that stewardship should be judged by the change it delivers, not the volume of activity it records. When reports focus on outcomes, they gain power. They become a market signal demonstrating what credible stewardship looks like.That signal builds differentiation. In a crowded market, differentiation is vital.
Technology as the enabler of impactful reporting
Making this shift is not easy. Portfolios are large. Engagement data is scattered. Without technology, rigorous and meaningful reporting is almost impossible.
Technology changes that. With the Maanch Engagement Tracker, asset owners can:
- Aggregate engagement data in one place
- Spot trends across sectors and regions
- Evidence progress at company and systemic levels
- Create reporting that is dynamic and outcome-focused
Most importantly, technology makes reporting predictive. It shows where escalation is needed, flags where collaboration could speed change and highlights risks that remain unmanaged. Boards and beneficiaries value this. It proves stewardship is not just activity. It is action with impact.
What the future demands from asset owners
Expectations are rising. Beneficiaries want clarity. Regulators want substance.
The asset owners who tell the clearest story will set the standard. But clarity demands resourcing. A recent Thinking Ahead Institute study shows that investors currently allocate just 5% of overall investment management costs to stewardship. And that this is widely seen as inadequate.
The report calls for a multi-year doubling of resourcing if stewardship ambitions are to be matched by delivery. For asset owners, that means investing in the people, processes, and technology that make outcome-focused reporting possible. Without it, even the best frameworks risk falling into box-ticking.
Future-ready reporting will be:
- Predictive – showing what’s next, not just what’s past
- Collaborative – building shared insight across the system
- Outcome-focused – proving change, not just logging activity
Those who embrace this won’t just meet requirements. They will shape the market.
Boardroom takeaway: reporting as influence
For asset owners, stewardship reporting is no longer paperwork. It is proof of influence. Treat it as compliance and it fades into the background. Treat it as strategy and it becomes an edge.
The shift from disclosure to differentiation is already here. The choice is whether to lead it. Done right, reporting is not noise. It is one of the most powerful levers asset owners have to deliver impact.
