NEI Ethical Funds has released its 2014 Corporate Engagement Focus List, outlining plans to engage with 30 companies over the coming year to reduce portfolio risk and help build long-term sustainable value for corporate stakeholders, including shareholders.

The seven financial services companies on the list are: Bank of Montreal; Bank of Nova Scotia; CIBC; National Bank; Power Financial; Royal Bank of Canada and TD Bank.

“For more than 15 years, NEI Ethical Funds has been encouraging good companies to become better by addressing key environmental, social and governance challenges. Our approach is more ‘Canadian’ in that we frame ESG issues in ways that link to our shared interest in driving long term sustainable value for all corporate stakeholders — including shareholders.” said Robert Walker, vice president at NEI Investments and Ethical Funds, in a release.

NEI Ethical says it will focus on the following key themes in 2014:

> reducing carbon emissions;

> supporting responsible resource extraction, and ensuring benefits are shared;

> supporting sustainable food production, and ensuring access to a health diet;

> preventing corporate tax base erosion;

> linking executive pay to performance on key environmental, social and governance indicators, and asking companies to explore ways to curb the rise in senior executive pay; and

> encouraging companies to increase board diversity.

The full NEI Ethical Funds 2014 Focus List can be downloaded from the NEI Ethical Funds website.