The Investors Forum

What The Investors Forum does

The Investor Forum is a not-for-profit, practitioner-led Community Interest Company (CIC) established in 2014 following the 2012 Kay Review of UK equity markets. Headquartered in London with a small professional team of approximately 9-15 staff, it operates as a membership organisation for institutional investors in UK-listed companies, currently comprising 50 Full Members that collectively represent roughly 23% of FTSE All Share market capitalisation.

The Forum's core product is the Collective Engagement Framework (CEF), a proprietary legal, operating and governance structure co-developed with a panel of leading international law firms (Davis Polk, Skadden and others) that enables institutional investors to undertake collective engagement with UK-listed company boards without breaching UK/EU MAR, Takeover Code, U.S. SEC or competition law regimes. The CEF has undergone four major updates (2018, 2019, 2023, 2025) confirming ongoing fitness for purpose. Around this core, the Forum delivers Stewardship 360 (S-360) collaborative projects on material ESG issues, a Four O'clock Forum virtual event series, direct company meeting facilitation, a programme of White Papers and Annual Reviews, the Simon Fraser Stewardship Award, and — launched in September 2024 — the Investor & Issuer Forum (I&IF), an inclusive platform extending engagement to UK-listed issuers.

Revenue is generated exclusively through undisclosed annual membership fees paid by institutional asset owners and asset managers, with any surplus reinvested into the organisation's stewardship mission. There are no retail channels, no external shareholders, and no public funding; the organisation is governed by a Board elected annually by its Members with pro bono support from its Legal Panel.

Name

The Investors Forum

Legal name

The Investor Forum CIC

Website

https://investorforum.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Investor Forum is a UK not-for-profit membership organisation of 50 institutional investors representing ~23% of FTSE All Share market cap, providing a Collective Engagement Framework and stewardship services to facilitate dialogue with UK-listed companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Institutional Investor Stewardship Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHADAA

Corporate Strategy Advisory

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Strategy & Corporate Finance Advisory

SECONDARYMPAGAGAK

Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Conventions & Conferences (Business Events)

SECONDARYBPAHADAI

Strategic Partnerships, Alliances & JVs Advisory

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Strategy & Corporate Finance Advisory

Keywords

• Institutional investor stewardship
• Collective engagement services
• ESG advisory membership
• UK equity governance
• Corporate stewardship facilitation

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: The primary revenue source is annual membership fees paid by institutional investors. Members are required to pay an annual membership fee. The organization is not-for-profit, so any surplus is reinvested into the organization's mission.
2. Event and Publication Revenue: Revenue may be generated from events, publications and member services, though the primary model remains membership-based subscription.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Investor Forum is a not-for-profit membership organisation that facilitates collective engagement between institutional investors and UK-listed companies. Its core offering is the Collective Engagement Framework, a proprietary legal and governance structure developed with leading law firms that provides a safe regulatory environment for coordinated stewardship activities, supplemented by Stewardship 360 collaborative projects, the Four O'clock Forum event series, and direct engagement facilitation services.

Product overview

The Investor Forum is a not-for-profit membership organization offering a suite of stewardship-focused services for institutional investors in UK equities. Its core offering is the Collective Engagement Framework, a unique legal and governance structure developed with leading law firms to facilitate safe collective engagement between investors and UK-listed companies. The Forum supplements this with Stewardship 360 (S-360) collaborative research projects spanning ESG themes, the Four O'clock Forum virtual event series, company meeting facilitation services, and a publications program including White Papers and Annual Reviews. The organization also manages the Simon Fraser Stewardship Award and launched the Investor & Issuer Forum in 2024 as a new inclusive platform for both investors and issuers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Investor & Issuer Forum (I&IF): An inclusive platform for investors and issuers, launched in September 2024.
• Stewardship 360 (S-360)
• Four O'clock Forum

Products and services

• Collective Engagement Framework A proprietary legal, operating and governance framework, developed with leading law firms, that provides a safe and secure environment for institutional investors to undertake collective engagement with UK-listed companies. It covers 10 key features including trusted facilitation, opt-in participation, confidentiality, nominated gatekeepers, bilateral communication models, and conflict-of-interest avoidance.
• Stewardship 360 (S-360) Projects Collaborative research and engagement projects that bring investors together to address wider material issues impacting companies, industries, and the environment, following a four-stage methodology of Educate, Investigate, Integrate, and Demonstrate. Project themes include working practices, voting transparency, defence, capital raising, and marine plastic pollution.
• Four O'clock Forum A series of virtual events providing members with opportunities to share insights, discuss topical issues and hear from experts on ESG topics. On-demand recordings and highlight notes are made available through the Forum's Members portal.
• Company Engagement Meetings Facilitated meetings between institutional investors and UK-listed company boards to address specific concerns, including engagement-specific, vote-specific, ad-hoc convening, and thematic meetings with non-executive directors conducted confidentially through the Collective Engagement Framework.
• Simon Fraser Stewardship Award An annual award program honouring individuals who demonstrate exceptional commitment to stewardship in investment decision-making. Named after Simon Fraser (1959-2021), the founding Chairman of The Investor Forum, winners are announced at the annual event each January.
• Investor & Issuer Forum (I&IF) An inclusive platform launched in September 2024 that extends The Investor Forum's dialogue facilitation work to UK-listed company issuers, creating a venue for two-way engagement between corporate boards and institutional investors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 51 UK companies engaged at board level through collective engagement since inception
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• Investor & Issuer Forum (I&IF)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 September 2024Inclusive platform for investors and issuers launched by The Investor Forum in September 2024. An expansion of the Forum's mission to facilitate dialogue between the investment community and company management. Led by Sallie Pilot as Managing Director I&IF.
• ThemisminorOthers · 1 January 2023Anti-slavery services organization that supported The Investor Forum in developing the Investor Due Diligence Toolkit on Modern Slavery. The Forum encourages financial service professionals to complete training at the Themis Anti-Slavery Hub.
• British Standards Institution (BSI)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2021BSI developed PAS 510:2021 plastic pellet standard in partnership with The Investor Forum and its investor co-sponsor group. The standard aims to catalyze change in corporate behavior to eliminate plastic pellet leakage into the environment.
• Fauna & Flora International (FFI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2021Conservation charity acting as steering group expert on behalf of the investor co-sponsor group for PAS 510:2021. FFI is a core NGO partner of the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance addressing SDG 14 'Life below water'.
• Marine ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2021Acting on behalf of the Scottish Government's Plastic Pellet Loss Steering Group. Co-developed PAS 510:2021 standard with BSI and The Investor Forum.
• British Plastics Federation (BPF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2021UK trade association for plastics companies heavily involved in developing PAS 510:2021 standard. Provided industry expertise and input into the standard development process.
• Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPcoreOthers · 1 January 2014Leading international law firm providing pro bono legal support to The Investor Forum's Legal Panel since inception. Assists in maintaining operating procedures which create a safe and secure legal and regulatory environment for collective engagement. Helps review the Collective Engagement Framework.
• Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLPcoreOthers · 1 January 2014Leading international law firm providing pro bono legal support to The Investor Forum's Legal Panel. Contributes to maintaining legal and regulatory safety in collective engagements. Assists with review of the Collective Engagement Framework.
• GDC (Legal Panel firms)coreOthers · 1 January 2014Additional law firms providing pro bono legal support as part of the Investor Forum Legal Panel. Collectively assist in maintaining operating procedures for safe and secure collective engagement.
• LansonsminorOthersMedia relations contact for The Investor Forum. Used for media enquiries related to press releases and announcements.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ShareAction: UK-based charity working on responsible investment and stewardship. Comparable as a UK-focused organisation advancing investor stewardship through research, campaigns, and engagement — though driven more by civil society accountability than institutional investor consensus.
• Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC): European investor membership coalition coordinating collective climate stewardship with corporates. IIGCC is one of the most direct comparables in mission and operating model — member-led, collective engagement, project-based working groups — though focused specifically on climate rather than broad ESG.
• Climate Action 100+: Global investor collaborative engagement initiative on climate change with 700+ signatories representing $68T AUM. Closely comparable as a collective engagement platform with similar signatory/member structure, though focused exclusively on climate-related board-level engagement.
• UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF): UK membership association promoting sustainable and responsible investment. UKSIF is a closely comparable UK membership organisation serving financial-sector institutions on stewardship and ESG, though more trade-association oriented with broader retail and policy focus.

Broad incumbents

• Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI): UN-backed global responsible investment signatory initiative. PRI is comparable as a practitioner-led stewardship umbrella serving institutional investors, but operates globally and at much larger scale through UN-supported signatory commitments rather than UK-focused collective engagement.
• The Investment Association (IA): UK trade body for the investment management industry representing 250+ member firms. Comparable as a UK institutional-investor membership association influencing corporate governance and stewardship, but broader in scope across policy, regulation, and industry representation.
• International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN): Global investor-led organisation promoting corporate governance standards and stewardship best practice. Comparable as a global membership network for institutional investors focused on governance engagement, but with broader international scope than the UK-centric Investor Forum.

Emerging players

• EOS at Federated Hermes: Commercial stewardship service engaging companies on behalf of institutional asset owners. Comparable as an institutional-investor-focused stewardship engagement provider, though EOS operates as a paid-for service rather than a peer-member coalition and is broader/global in scope.
• Access to Nutrition Foundation: Global investor coalition using collective engagement to improve nutrition outcomes via food sector stewardship. Comparable as an investor-collaborative producing both engagement and standards-style outputs (ATNi indices), though focused on a specific nutrition theme rather than broad ESG.

Regional players

• Council of Institutional Investors (CII): US-based association of large institutional investors focused on corporate governance and shareholder engagement. Comparable as a member-driven investor collective advocating stewardship and governance reform, but operating primarily in US markets rather than UK equities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-investor-forum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Investors Forum