Gary Hawton, president of socially responsible investment (SRI) company OceanRock Investments Inc., was presented with the Canadian SRI Distinguished Service Award at the Social Investment Organization (SIO) annual conference.
SIO also announced on Friday that Hawton has been appointed to the role of president of the board of SIO after serving several years in other executive board positions. Both the award and the nomination were presented to Hawton in recognition of his leadership and extensive contributions to the SRI industry and his relentless pursuit of environmental, social and governance accountability for publicly traded companies.
The award, which is presented by the SIO, can only be won once in a person’s lifetime. It is awarded to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the Canadian SRI industry through their leadership, commitment, initiative, innovation, collaboration and/or impact in advancing industry growth and recognition.
Hawton was the founding CEO of Meritas SRI Funds, which is now a division of OceanRock. He has been a key driver for SRI in both the retail and institutional investment arenas in Canada, and has been a vocal advocate of “say on pay” – promoting the ability for shareholders to have a non-binding or advisory vote on executive compensation.
“Gary is a cornerstone for SRI and shareholder advocacy,” said Scott Gibner, CEO of Qtrade Financial Group, parent company of OceanRock. “He has put a tremendous amount of thought, energy and passion into cultivating SRI in Canada.”
In response to the award and the appointment, Hawton said: “I am very pleased that Socially Responsible Investments are having such an impact for Canadian investors. I am honoured to receive this award from my peers and look forward to further advocacy on behalf of shareholders as president of OceanRock and president of the SIO.”