Training and Education: Certified Stewardship Professional (CSP©)

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Our Stewardship Services

ABOUT STEWARDSHIP

How We Define Stewardship

Investor stewardship is the practice by which institutional investors not only allocate and manage capital but also oversee company behavior through firm-level engagement and system-level accountability—acting according to their fiduciary duties, guided by an ethical obligation to clients, ultimate investors, assets, and society at large.

It includes ongoing dialogue with company management, exercising voting rights at shareholder meetings, and integrating sustainability aspects and risks into investment decisions.

The goal is to promote long-term corporate value creation, sustainable business practices, and sound governance to create sustainable benefits for the economy, the environment and society.

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Effective stewardship is a critical but underdeveloped lever for aligning capital markets with the goals of a just transition to a net-zero economy.

WHY US

How We Create Value For Our Clients

We help you fulfill legal and fiduciary obligations and achieve strategic stewardship goals with our expert guidance and support.

Strengthening Long-Term Dialogue

Various formats to strengthen long-term dialogue between investors and issuers.

Connecting Through a Powerful Network

Access to an unrivalled network to exchange views, extend reach, pool resources, leverage expertise.

Raising Standards and Professional Integrity

Promoting internationally recognized standards of knowledge, competence, and ethical practice, strengthening the overall integrity and impact of the stewardship profession.

Why Use Our Platform

Good reasons to choose us.

Qualitative Aproach

Focusing on long-term dialogue, no box-ticking

Network

Exchange views, extend reach, pool resources, leverage expertise

Market Coverage

Germanspeaking countries and beyond in the future

Increase Efficiency

Minimize your administrational efforts

Expertise

Knowledge and experience in stewardship, governance and sustainability

Robust Methodology

Engagements based on data and research

Scope

Listed and non-listed companies

Reporting

Transparent reporting on engagement activities

ENGAGEMENT PLATFORM

Improving Corporate Behavior

We offer a management tool for collaborative engagement enabling investors to work together through coordinated dialogues, joint statements, or engagement campaigns.

As an engagement facilitator, we bring investors together and carry out both collaborative and individual engagements with companies. Our engagement platform enables investors to: - initiate, - manage, - monitor, - evaluate and - bundle their stewardship activities.

Engagement Topics

The topics for our engagement activities are discussed and defined together with all participating institutional investors. We set a prioritization that is valid for the AGM season. However, certain ad-hoc topics can still be included upon capacity and urgency.

Governance

How do companies address leadership, executive compensation, audits, internal controls and shareholder rights?

Examples:

Board Composition

Capital increases & reduction

Remuneration Policy

M&A

Environmental

How do companies address risks and opportunities from environmental stresses and regulations?

Examples:

Climate Transition Plans

Nature and Biodiversity Risks

Plastic Pollution

Scope 3 Emissions

Resource Scarcity

Water use

Social

How do companies manage issues relating to employees, suppliers, customers, and the community?

Examples:

Child Labor & Children Rights

Occupational Health & Safety

Supply Chain

Companies and Sectors in Scope

We are sector-agnostic primarily conduct engagement with listed companies in Germany (DAX, SDAX, MDAX, CDAX, TECDax), Switzerland (SMI) and Austria (ATX).

Other listed and non-listed companies (bond issuers, Private Equity e.g.) can be considered upon customer request.

Various Formats of Engagement

StePs-Led Engagement

Engagement supported by individual clients.

StePs initiates and coordinates the engagement.

Client-Initiated Engagement

Engagement is initiated by one or more clients.

StePs offers support with coordination and implementation.

Issuer-Requested Dialogue

An issuer seeks dialogue with the clients.

StePs coordinates and moderates the request.

Asset Owner–Driven Engagement

An asset owner seeks engagement with one or more asset managers.

StePs coordinates and moderates the request.

Private Markets and Alternative Assets

An investor wishes to engage with a corporation or fund.

StePs coordinates and moderates the request.

EDUCATION

Promoting Internationally Recognized Standards of Knowledge in Stewardship

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Investor stewardship has gained prominence over the past decade, driven by regulatory developments, climate risk, human rights expectations and growing awareness of investors’ influence along global value chains. However, stewardship practice remains highly uneven. Roles, competencies and standards differ widely across markets and institutions, and there is no widely recognized professional baseline comparable to other financial professions.

This gap limits the effectiveness of stewardship as a tool to influence corporate behavior on critical issues such as labor rights, climate transition plans and supply chain responsibility.

While codes of stewardship best practice already exist in some countries, the stewardship discipline now requires essential features of a profession: an accepted, rigorous framework to define the necessary recognized professional qualifications and skills; and a common platform for information sharing on stewardship jobs, remuneration tracks, and career paths.

We are providing this platform with the Certified Stewardship Professional (CSP©) Accreditation, an interactive e-learning course developed by globally renowned experts in sustainability, corporate governance and stewardship.

Training and Education is provided by the German non-profit association Stewardship Professionals e.V. founded in 2022.

Expert-Led Learning

World-renowned experts from academia and practice

Recognized Certification

Validation of your expertise through the Certified Stewardship Professional (CSP©)

Comprehensive Curriculum

Holistic syllabus tailored of the needs of both beginners and experienced experts in stewardship

Engaging Digital Experience

Appealing and intuitive digital learning experience

Global Community

International Network of Stewardship Professionals

SECURITIES LITIGATION & CLAIMS FILING

Unlocking Value Through Legal Risk Insight & Recovery

Each year, billions in settlement funds go unclaimed by eligible institutional investors due to resource constraints, regulatory uncertainty, or fragmented legal frameworks across jurisdictions.

At the same time, securities litigation is becoming more global, complex, and financially significant. We help you recover funds lost through securities fraud or corporate misconduct.

In cooperation with KTMC, one of the leading law firms in this field, we inform you about all pending proceedings and settlements worldwide so that you can assert your legitimate claims, maximize recoveries and reduce your fiduciary risk.

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Securities litigation is a multifaceted, highly specialized area of practice. In collaboration with Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP (KTMC), one of the leading firms in the world specializing in the prosecution of complex litigation, we support our clients on a contingency fee basis.

KTMC is globally renowned for securities fraud litigation, shareholder rights enforcement and consumer class actions.

KTMC website

AD-HOC VOTING

Informed Voting On Special Resolutions

Regulatory pressure, stakeholder expectations, and growing complexity demand timely, informed, and defensible voting decisions—even when they arise unexpectedly.

Many institutional investors lack the internal resources to monitor, assess, and act on every vote, especially in ad-hoc or urgent cases. Ad-hoc items (e.g. special audit) are submitted after the cut-off or proposed resolutions are amended by the management. In consequence, the shareholder can no longer react accordingly, and standard instructions take effect. These are usually to vote against every special resolution and are therefore contrary to the interests of investors.

This is why we offer ad-hoc voting support, a flexible, high-quality service that gives you everything you need to vote confidently—when it matters most.

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How does it work?

AGM Presentation

StePs representative physically present at the AGM

Real-time Voting Analysis

We review and evaluate resolutions as they arise—especially on short notice—and deliver tailored vote recommendations aligned with your ESG strategy, fiduciary responsibilities, and stewardship principles.

Voting Guidelines

Recommendation based on individual voting guidelines, including special resolutions tabled at the last moment.

Ad-hoc basis

Use us as needed

Fast turnaround

Ideal for last-minute resolutions

Human insight

Beyond proxy advisor templates

Reputation-proof

Avoid unintended or inconsistent votes

Custom-fit

Meeting investment philosophy and policies

ADVISORY

Supporting Investors Building Their Engagement Strategy

Stewardship managers are caught between the pressure to generate returns, ethical and regulatory requirements and social expectations. They not only have to think strategically but also implement operationally – often with limited resources. We offer expert guidance to build effective stewardship strategies and improve engagement outcomes.

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Sharing Best-Practice Engagement Insights

Sharing insights on best-practice engagement approaches

Aligning Stewardship Priorities

Supporting asset owners in communicating stewardship priorities to asset managers

Developing Clear and Effective Strategies and Implementation

Helping develop a clear and effective stewardship strategy and its implementation