As a company based in the Netherlands, AEGON adheres to the Dutch Corporate Governance Code.
AEGON endorses the Code and strongly supports its principles for sound and responsible corporate governance. AEGON regards the Code as an effective means of helping ensure that the interests of all stakeholders are duly represented and taken into account. The Code also promotes transparency in decision-making and helps strengthen the principles of good governance. The new, amended Dutch Corporate Governance Code came into force at the beginning of 2009. For more detailed information, please see the Corporate Governance Statement, which can be found at this website.
In addition, AEGON companies also adhere to a number of other local, regional and international corporate governance initiatives. These include rules and guidelines provided by the:
- Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
- International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN).
- Department of Labor in the United States.
- US Insurance Regulatory Requirements.
- AEGON also upholds a number of different international agreements, which set out guidelines or minimum standards for pollution, human rights or labor conditions. These agreements help shape and inform the company’s investment decisions.
AEGON is a signatory to the 2010 Carbon Disclosure Project, a program that encourages companies to be more open about their greenhouse gas emissions. Investors signing up to the project manage assets worth approximately USD 64 trillion. In the United Kingdom, AEGON Asset Management is a member of the Association of British Insurers’ investment committee, which considers corporate governance issues and sets policy in this area. AEGON Asset Management UK is also a member of both the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association and the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, which aims to improve governance in the global oil, gas and minerals sector.
In November 2010, AEGON added its name to an investor statement calling for an international agreement to address climate change. In all, 259 investors signed the statement with collective assets totaling more than USD 15 trillion. The statement was timed to coincide with the latest round of negotiations on climate change in Cancun, Mexico. The statement was signed on behalf of AEGON by CEO Alex Wynaendts.