Ruffer LLP: investment adviser

The portfolio’s multi-asset allocation will be built to reflect our stated investment objective to preserve capital as well as any investment constraints imposed by the client.

Ruffer is an independent Investment Manager, founded in 1994 by Jonathan Ruffer, to provide a different approach to discretionary fund management. We are owned and operated by the existing and former partners of the Firm. Members of the partnership contribute capital to and share in the profitability of the Firm. We believe this arrangement aligns the interests of the partnership with those of our clients, in seeking to achieve long term, sustainable investment returns and client relationships.

TAILORED RELATIONSHIPS Whilst keeping to the dual investment aims described above, we are able to tailor investment advisory services to the individual needs of the client. Our clients may impose restrictions on the investments in their account. All limitations and restrictions placed on accounts must be agreed in writing.

TYPES OF ADVISORY SERVICES The firm provides discretionary investment management services. Advice is limited to investments in the Ruffer strategy. In the US, the Firm is marketed to non-retail investors. The Firm also manages a number of investment vehicles, including: a London listed, Guernsey registered investment company, a number of UK and Luxembourg domiciled UCITS collective investment schemes and a Cayman Limited Company master feeder fund (with Cayman Limited Company and Delaware Limited Partnership feeder funds). Some of these funds are offered in the US through private placements.

WRAP FEE PROGRAMS We do not sponsor, manage or participate in a wrap-fee program. FIDUCIARY STATEMENT Both we and our employees are fiduciaries who must take into consideration the best interests of the Firm’s clients. We will act with competence, dignity, integrity, and in an ethical manner, when dealing with clients. We will use reasonable care and exercise independent professional judgement when conducting investment analysis, making investment recommendations, trading, promoting our services, and engaging in other professional activities.

Our compensation is solely from fees paid directly by clients. We do not receive commissions based on our clients’ purchase(s) of any financial product, including insurance. No commissions in any form are accepted. INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT SERVICES We will manage investment accounts on a discretionary basis only. This service typically includes the selection, monitoring and review of portfolio assets, and follows a single investment philosophy and process.

As a fiduciary, we have the obligation to deal fairly with our clients. We have the following responsibilities when working with a client to–

Prior to investment, we will gather information about a client’s financial situation, including investment objectives, risk capacity and constraints, to ensure that our approach is appropriate. The client will enter into an Investment Management Agreement (IMA) with us prior to the management of the portfolio beginning. The IMA sets out the terms of the engagement.

– render impartial advice – make appropriate recommendations based on the client’s needs, financial circumstances and investment objectives – exercise a high degree of care and diligence to ensure that information is presented in an accurate manner and not in a way to mislead

We manage all client portfolios in line with our single investment approach, which is described as a global,

– have reasonable basis, information, and understanding of the facts in order to provide appropriate recommendations and representations

AGREEMENT TERMS The client may terminate an agreement at any time by notifying us in writing. We may terminate an agreement by giving the client at least four weeks’ notice.

– disclose any material conflict of interest which can’t be mitigated/managed in writing and – treat clients fairly and equitably.

GENERAL INFORMATION ON COMPENSATION AND OTHER FEES

ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT

In certain circumstances, fees, account minimums and payment terms are negotiable depending on a client’s unique situation – such as the size of the aggregate related party portfolio size. Certain clients may pay more or less than others depending on the amount of assets, type of portfolio, or the time involved, the degree of responsibility assumed, complexity of the engagement, special skills needed to solve problems, the application of experience and knowledge of the client’s situation.

As of 31 March 2026, our assets under management are $24,868,231,931. This number represents all the assets the Firm manages for its discretionary clients. The Firm does not manage any assets on a nondiscretionary basis.

ITEM 5: FEES AND COMPENSATION We base our fees on a percentage of assets under management. Our fee schedules are described below. COMPENSATION – INVESTMENT Our annual investment management fees are calculated upon the level of chargeable assets under management in accordance with a tiered fee scale. The applicable fee is noted in the IMA.

Our fees are exclusive of brokerage commissions, transaction fees, and other related costs and expenses which shall be incurred by the client. Such charges, fees and commissions are exclusive of and in addition to our fees, and we shall not receive any portion of these commissions, fees, and costs.

The asset-based fee is billed on a quarterly basis, in arrears, based upon the market value of the client’s account, on the last day of the previous quarter.

Clients should note that similar management services may (or may not) be available from other registered investment advisers for similar or lower fees.

It should be noted that in order to ensure there is no double charging to clients, holdings in any Ruffer funds are excluded from the calculation of the investment management fees where Ruffer receives a management fee directly from the fund.

ITEM 6: PERFORMANCE-BASED FEES AND SIDE-BY-SIDE MANAGEMENT

MANAGEMENT SERVICES

‘Performance-Based Fees’ are fees based on the capital gains or capital appreciation in an account. We do not charge performance-based fees.

There are normally no initial or termination charges for new or leaving clients.

Fee arrangements vary by client as described in Item 5. As a result, conflicts of interest could arise with respect to the allocation of more profitable trades to higher fee-paying accounts. To mitigate such potential conflicts of interest, the Firm’s policies and procedures state that investment decisions are to be made in accordance with our fiduciary duties and regulatory principles. In determining the suitability of investment opportunities for client accounts and funds, we consider several factors, including their investment objectives, constraints, existing portfolio composition, and legal or process constraints surrounding the investment. See Item 11 for additional information on conflicts management.

CALCULATION AND PAYMENT The specific manner in which we charge fees is established in a client’s written agreement with us. The amount due in fees is debited directly from our client’s accounts unless they have elected to be invoiced directly for fees. Accounts initiated during a calendar quarter will be charged a prorated fee. Upon termination of any account, the fee for the final, partial calendar quarter will be prorated. Any prepaid, unearned fees will be promptly refunded, and any earned, unpaid fees will be due and payable.

ITEM 7: TYPES OF CLIENTS

investor behavior and potentially predict future price movement.

TYPES OF CLIENTS

Technical analysis does not consider the underlying financial condition of a company. This presents a risk in that a poorly managed or financially unsound company may underperform regardless of market movement.

In the US, discretionary investment management services are marketed to non-retail investors, including: banks or thrift institutions, pooled investment vehicles, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates and charitable organizations, family offices, corporations and other investment managers.

The terms ‘charting’ and ‘technical’ analysis are generally used synonymously and therefore, for the purpose of this document, we will use the term, ‘technical analysis.’

ACCOUNT MINIMUMS For our separately managed accounts we require a minimum size of $100,000,000. We may group certain related client accounts for the purposes of achieving the minimum account size.

Cyclical analysis, which measures the movements of a particular stock against the overall market in an attempt to predict the price movement of the security.

In exceptional circumstances, we have the discretion to waive the account minimum. Accounts of less than $100,000,000 may be set up when we anticipate the client will add additional funds to the accounts bringing the total to $100,000,000 within a reasonable time.

INVESTMENT STRATEGIES We have one global, macro-driven, absolute return strategy that is unchanged since our Firm began in 1994. We define this single investment strategy with two simple investment objectives 1 not to lose money in any 12 month rolling period

The account minimums for funds are provided in the respective fund offering documents.

2 to grow funds at a higher rate than would be achieved by depositing them in cash

ITEM 8: METHODS OF ANALYSIS, INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISK OF LOSS

Our approach starts with managing the risk of losing money. We aim to identify the future risks we see in markets, considering a range of possible scenarios, and choose assets which will benefit should those events come to pass. These are the assets which should provide genuine protection to the portfolio in the event of market downturns.

METHODS OF ANALYSIS We may employ the following security analysis methods: fundamental analysis, technical analysis, and cyclical analysis.

By focusing, first and foremost, on the protection of capital, we are then able to be opportunistic in allocating to growth assets throughout the market cycle. This is typically through our exposure to global equity markets. By building a balanced portfolio in this way, our aim is to deliver consistent positive returns through the market cycle and with less volatility than would be expected from equities.

Fundamental analysis, which attempts to measure the intrinsic value of a security by looking at economic and financial factors (including the overall economy, industry conditions, and the financial condition and management of the company itself) to determine if the company is underpriced (indicating it may be a good time to buy) or overpriced (indicating it may be time to sell).

Our asset allocation is the key driver of returns. It is dynamic and unconstrained, meaning there is no strategic asset allocation and there are no control ranges. This allows us to look across a broad asset universe to identify the assets that can best protect our portfolio against the risks we see. Equally, we are free to avoid assets that we believe look overvalued or carry too much risk. We invest across asset classes and geographies in order to form a portfolio we feel to be suitably diversified. The portfolio will typically

Fundamental analysis does not attempt to anticipate market movements. This presents a potential risk, as the price of a security can move up or down along with the overall market regardless of the economic and financial factors considered in evaluating the stock. Technical analysis, which analyzes past market movements and applies that analysis to the present in an attempt to recognize recurring patterns of

hold exposure to equities, bonds, foreign currencies, commodities and derivative positions.

an industry. For example, oil-drilling companies depend on finding oil and then refining it, a lengthy process, before they can generate a profit. They carry a higher risk of profitability than an electric company, which generates its income from a steady stream of customers who buy electricity no matter what the economic environment is like.

This asset allocation is complemented by our own in-house equity research. Our analysts undertake extensive research, including meeting with the management of a company, to identify the best ideas to fit into the top-down asset allocation. These allocations may be geographic, thematic or special situations.

Liquidity risk: liquidity is the ability to readily convert an investment into cash. Generally, assets are more liquid if many traders are interested in a standardized product. For example, treasury bills are highly liquid, while real estate properties (ie non-traded REITs and other alternative investments) are not.

We use long-term trading and short-term trading. RISK OF LOSS Investing in securities involves risk of loss that clients should be prepared to bear.

Financial risk: excessive borrowing to finance a business’ operations increases the risk of profitability, because the company must meet the terms of its obligations in good times and bad. During periods of financial stress, the inability to meet loan obligations may result in bankruptcy and/or a declining market value.

All investments involve the risk of loss, including (among other things) loss of principal, a reduction in earnings (including interest, dividends and other distributions), and the loss of future earnings. Although we manage assets in a manner consistent with your investment objectives and risk tolerance, there can be no guarantee that our efforts will be successful. You should be prepared to bear the following risks of loss

Cybersecurity risk: a breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause an account to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption, or lose operational capacity. This in turn could cause an account to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, and additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures, and/or financial loss.

Interest-rate risk: fluctuations in interest rates may cause investment prices to fluctuate. For example, when interest rates rise, yields on existing bonds become less attractive, causing their market values to decline. Market risk: the price of a security, bond, or mutual fund may drop in reaction to tangible and intangible events and conditions. This type of risk is caused by external factors independent of a security’s particular underlying circumstances. For example, political, economic and social conditions may trigger market events.

Pandemic risk: large-scale outbreaks of infectious disease can greatly increase morbidity and mortality over a wide geographic area, crossing international boundaries, and causing significant economic, social, and political disruption. Custodial risk: This risk is the probability that a party to a transaction will be unable or unwilling to fulfil its contractual obligations either due to technological errors, control failures, malfeasance, or potential regulatory liabilities.

Inflation risk: when any type of inflation is present, a dollar next year will not buy as much as a dollar today, because purchasing power is eroding at the rate of inflation.

Alternative investments (limited partnerships): the performance of alternative investments (for example limited partnerships) can be volatile and may have limited liquidity. An investor could lose all or a portion of their investment. Such investments often have concentrated positions and investments that may carry higher risks. Clients should only have a portion of their assets in these investments.

Currency risk: overseas investments are subject to fluctuations in the value of the dollar against the currency of the investment’s originating country. This is also referred to as exchange rate risk. Reinvestment risk: this is the risk that future proceeds from investments may have to be reinvested at a potentially lower rate of return (ie, interest rate). This primarily relates to fixed income securities. Business risk: these risks are associated with a particular industry or a particular company within

ITEM 9: DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION

master feeder fund (with Cayman Limited Company and Delaware Limited Partnership feeder funds).

We are required to disclose all pertinent facts regarding any legal, regulatory or disciplinary events that would be material to your evaluation of the Firm or the integrity of our management.

AFFILIATIONS – OTHER Apart from affiliations noted above, we do not have a material relationship or arrangement with related persons or financial industry entities in the following categories–

We have no material legal, regulatory or disciplinary events to disclose in this Item.

– municipal securities dealer, or government securities dealer or broker

ITEM 10: OTHER FINANCIAL INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES AND AFFILIATIONS

– futures commission merchant, commodity pool operator, or commodity trading adviser

FINANCIAL INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES

– banking or thrift institution

Our business activities are associated with providing discretionary investment management and investment advisory services to our clients.

– accountant or accounting firm – lawyer or law firm – insurance company or agency

FINANCIAL INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES – BROKER‑DEALERS

– pension consultant

We are not registered as a broker-dealer, and none of our management persons are registered representatives of a broker-dealer. However, we have a subsidiary, Ruffer LLC, which is a FINRA brokerdealer. Ruffer LLC markets the Ruffer strategy to US non-retail investors.

– real estate broker or dealer

FINANCIAL INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES – FUTURES AND COMMODITIES

ITEM 11: CODE OF ETHICS, PARTICIPATION OR INTEREST IN CLIENT TRANSACTIONS AND PERSONAL TRADING

– sponsor or syndicator of limited partnerships. RECOMMENDING OTHER INVESTMENT ADVISERS We do not recommend or select other investment advisers for our clients.

We are registered as a commodity pool operator, however the Ruffer funds currently rely on pool exemptions.

CODE OF ETHICS Our employees must comply with a Code of Ethics and Statement for Insider Trading (the ‘Code’). The Code describes our high standard of business conduct, and fiduciary duty to our clients. The Code’s key provisions include

AFFILIATIONS – OTHER INVESTMENT ADVISERS Ruffer LLP has three related investment advisers: Ruffer S.A., Ruffer AIFM Limited and Ruffer (Channel Islands) Limited. These are wholly owned subsidiaries of the Firm and are organized to provide investment advisory services in other jurisdictions or manage Ruffer funds. Please note that none of the Firm’s subsidiaries may take on US-based clients, as they are not registered with the SEC. Ruffer AIFM Limited is notified to the SEC as an Exempt Reporting Adviser.

1 Statement of general principles 2 Policy on and reporting of personal securities transactions 3 A prohibition on insider trading 4 Restrictions on the acceptance and giving of significant gifts

AFFILIATIONS – POOLED INVESTMENT VEHICLES (‘RUFFER FUNDS’)

5 Procedures to detect and deter misconduct and violations

Ruffer LLP and its subsidiaries manage a number of pooled investment vehicles; including a London listed, Guernsey registered investment company, a number of UK and Luxembourg domiciled UCITS collective investment schemes and a Cayman Limited Company

6 Requirement to maintain confidentiality of client information Our employees must acknowledge the terms of the Code at least annually, and any employee not

in compliance with the Code may be subject to disciplinary action or termination.

PARTICIPATION OR INTEREST IN CLIENT TRANSACTIONS AND PRINCIPAL/AGENCY CROSS TRADES

Clients and prospective clients can obtain a copy of the Firm’s Code of Ethics by contacting Ruffer’s Interim Chief Compliance Officer, Tony Allen, at +44 (0)20 7963 8163 or tallen@ruffer.co.uk

In the ordinary course of business we do not act as principal, buy securities for ourselves from, or sell securities we own to clients. We shall only act as principal in a transaction in order to correct an error that we have made when managing our client’s portfolios. We do not recommend any securities to our clients in which we have a material financial interest. We do not effect any principal transactions for client accounts. We may cross trades between client accounts, but only when it is considered in the best interests of both clients and best execution can be achieved for both clients.

PARTICIPATION OR INTEREST IN CLIENT TRANSACTIONS – PERSONAL SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS Employees may buy or sell securities identical to those recommended to clients for their personal accounts. However, employees are subject to the requirements of our Personal Account Dealing Policy and Procedures (the ‘Policy’), to ensure that any conflicts of interest that arise are mitigated.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST The Firm considers that the organizational and administrative arrangements it has established to prevent or manage conflicts of interest are sufficient to ensure, with reasonable confidence, that the risks of damage to the clients’ interests will be prevented. However, there are some examples of conflicts which we want to draw to your attention, so that you are aware of the sort of conflicts which we are preventing or managing and how we will try and mitigate or manage the conflict.

The Firm takes appropriate steps to ensure the interests of our clients are put ahead of the interests of ourselves or our employees. The policy requires employees to obtain prior approval for personal transactions and report such transactions and holdings. Client orders will have priority over employee deals. All securities captured by the Policy must be held for 60 calendar days. The Code and Policy, described above, are designed to ensure that the personal securities transactions, activities and interests of the employees of the Firm will not interfere with (i) making decisions in the best

We may without prior reference to the client, give investment advice or effect transactions for the client which may involve (either directly or indirectly) a conflict between the client’s interests and Ruffer’s interests or the interests of another Ruffer client. These may arise for example because

interest of clients and (ii) implementing such decisions while, at the same time, allowing employees to invest for their own accounts. Under the Policy certain classes of securities have been designated as exempt transactions, based upon a determination that these would not materially interfere with the best interest of our clients. Nonetheless, because the Policy in some circumstances would permit employees to invest in the same securities as clients, there is a potential risk that employees might benefit from market activity by a client in a security held by an employee. To help manage this risk, the Firm maintains a list of restricted securities that employees may not purchase or sell based upon having (or possibly having) access to inside information. Employee trading is continually monitored under the Policy and designed to reasonably prevent conflicts of interest between the Firm’s employees and our clients.

a we act as investment manager for another client or clients with interests in investments in relation to which we provide investment advice or may effect transactions for the portfolio b we, or our staff members, may have an interest in investments in which we may provide investment advice or effect transactions for you c your portfolio contains securities where a Ruffer staff member is a director or other officer of the issuer d the transaction or investment advice is in relation to a collective investment scheme or investment trust whose assets are managed by us or one of our subsidiaries

e only limited quantities of a particular investment may be transacted for client portfolios, for instance because of a shortage in the market, because there is a limit on the amount of a particular investment that we can sell, or because there is a limit to the amount of an investment that it would be prudent for us to take on for our client base as a whole or

the likelihood of settlement and the prevention of any information leakage. We will exercise our own discretion in determining the factors that we need to take into account for the purpose of providing ‘best execution’ to our clients. Research is paid for directly by us, whether it is provided by a broker or an independent research provider. Third party research is an important source material for our research team and fund managers. The cost is not part of dealing/execution charges mentioned above and there is no link between the execution commission paid when we deal and the receipt of research.

f we are correcting a dealing error. As concerns items (a) to (d) and (f) above, we will always take appropriate steps to ensure fair treatment for you by disregarding any interest we may have when advising you or dealing on your behalf, and by maintaining procedures preventing members of staff from gaining an unfair advantage from the holding of, giving advice in relation to, or dealing in investments on behalf of their clients.

BROKERAGE FOR CLIENT REFERRALS We may pay referral fees to independent broker-dealers for the marketing to and referral of US clients to our Firm. In these cases, there will be a written agreement between ourselves and the solicitors, which clearly defines the duties and responsibilities of the solicitor under this arrangement. The referral fees represent a share of the investment management fee that we charge to our clients, but do not result in higher costs. The referral fees will be disclosed to clients who are referred to us under such an arrangement.

As concerns item (e) we operate the overriding principle that any allocation of an investment to or from a client is that it must be fair and appropriate to all the Ruffer clients concerned. We will disregard any differential portfolio performance of clients involved in allocation decisions and will ensure that no client is intentionally advantaged or disadvantaged vis-à-vis another, though on occasion the effect of allocation may be to favor one client over another. A pro rata allocation process is followed, subject to minimum trade size and minimum trade increment of the investment.

DIRECTED BROKERAGE Clients cannot direct us to use a particular brokerdealer to execute some or all transactions for the client (‘directed brokerage’).

ITEM 12: BROKERAGE PRACTICES RESEARCH AND OTHER SOFT DOLLAR BENEFITS

TRADE AGGREGATION

We do not receive soft dollar benefits. The cost of execution charged by broker/dealers in connection with client securities transactions are charged directly to the client.

We may aggregate trades for multiple accounts. Trade aggregation is the act of trading a large block of a security in a single order. Shares of a purchased or sold security are then allocated to the appropriate accounts in the appropriate proportion. The main purposes of order aggregation are (i) for ease of trading and (ii) to obtain a lower transaction cost associated with trading a larger quantity.

When dealing we will pass orders to a broker/dealer for execution. When executing an order, we take all sufficient steps to achieve ‘best execution’ in relation to that order. We have in place a policy and procedures which are designed to obtain the best possible execution result for the client. This is dependent on the nature of the orders, the market in question and a balance of other, sometimes conflicting, factors. We will take into consideration a range of different factors which include not just price, but also the total cost of the transaction, the need for timely execution, the liquidity of the market, the size of the order, the nature of the financial transaction, including whether it is executed on a regulated market or over-the-counter,

Orders for the same security entered on behalf of more than one client may be aggregated (ie, blocked or bunched) subject to the aggregation being in the best interests of all participating clients. If an order has not been filled completely so that there are not enough shares to allocate among all the clients equally, shares will be allocated in good faith, on a pro rated basis. If a partial execution is attained at the end of the trading day, we will allocate shares on a pro rata basis. All clients participating in each aggregated

order shall receive the average price and subject to minimum ticket charges, pay a pro-rata portion of execution commissions.

our investment strategy continues to be appropriate and in line with expectations. REPORTING

Our allocation procedure seeks to be fair and equitable to all clients with no particular group or client(s) being favored or disfavored over any other clients.

We prepare periodic reports, at least quarterly, which generally include individual holdings, cost basis information, deposits and withdrawals, acquisitions and disposals, accrued income, dividends, performance, a broker commission summary and custody statement. We may also prepare reports or communications related to our investment services at other times, including when requested by clients.

ITEM 13: REVIEW OF ACCOUNTS REVIEWS Fund managers have overall responsibility for the management of each account. Each Fund Manager has the responsibility of managing the portfolio according to Ruffer’s single investment strategy, taking into account the clients’ specific investment policy objectives and constraints.

ITEM 14: CLIENT REFERRALS AND OTHER COMPENSATION OTHER COMPENSATION

The Asset Allocation team meets regularly, at least once a week, to set our investment strategy and asset allocation. They review the overall portfolio in the context of the macroeconomic environment and ensure it is well positioned to meet our central investment objectives of capital preservation. The analysis incorporates stress testing and scenario analysis.

We do not receive any economic benefits (other than normal compensation and benefits described in Item 12) from any firm or individual for providing investment advice. COMPENSATION – CLIENT REFERRALS – SOLICITATION ARRANGEMENT

We review all of a client’s relevant financial information, including investment portfolios. Reviews include analyzing securities, sensitivity to overall markets, economic changes, investment results and asset allocation, to ensure the investment strategy and expectations are structured to continue to meet clients’ investment objectives.

We may pay referral fees to independent solicitors for the referral of clients to our Firm. In these cases, there will be a written agreement between ourselves and the solicitors, which clearly defines the duties and responsibilities of the solicitor under this arrangement. Any client who is referred to us by a solicitor will be given a full written disclosure describing the terms and fee arrangements between us and the solicitor(s).

Portfolios are generally monitored continuously by the portfolio manager; however, formal reviews could also occur at the time of new deposits, material changes in a client’s investment policy requirements or financial situation, changes in market, political or economic conditions, at our discretion, or as often as the client directs.

ITEM 15: CUSTODY CUSTODY – ACCESS TO CLIENT CASH AND/ OR SECURITIES We do not have physical custody of any clients’ cash or bank account or securities. Our clients will direct us to work with their chosen acting custodian, with our authority over the client’s custody account being limited to settling transactions that we have undertaken under the terms of the IMA and related currency transactions, corporate actions and exercising voting rights.

On a quarterly basis all portfolios are independently reviewed for performance dispersion and large differences in asset allocation. Where portfolios flag the relevant manager is required to provide a reason and, if necessary, correct the divergence. The Oversight & Controls Committee oversees this process, and reports to the Executive and Risk Committees of the Board.

CUSTODY – FEE DEBITING

We encourage frequent contact with our clients but will only contact the client when deemed necessary. Our clients can contact us at any time. Clients are obligated to promptly notify us of any material changes in their financial situation or investment policy to ensure that

Clients may authorize us (in the IMA) to debit fees directly from their account at the broker dealer, bank or other qualified custodian (‘custodian’). The custodian is advised in writing of the limitation of our

We are committed to being good stewards of our clients’ assets. We believe this approach will lead to better long-term performance for our clients, whilst also benefiting the companies we invest in, the environment and society. To that end, we take our voting responsibilities seriously. The opportunity to vote enables us to encourage boards and management teams to consider and address areas we are concerned about or want to support, particularly if engagement has not been successful.

We comply with the SEC’s Custody Rule with regard to the custody of the Fund(s) by ensuring that each USbased Fund receives an annual audit, and the audited financial statements are sent to investors within 120 days of each Fund’s fiscal year end as required. CUSTODY – ACCOUNT STATEMENTS Clients receive at least quarterly statements from the custodian that holds and maintains client’s investment assets. Clients are urged to carefully review such statements and compare such official custodial records to the reports that we provide. Our quarterly reports may vary from custodial statements based on accounting procedures, reporting dates, or valuation methodologies of certain securities.

We have an internal voting policy which reflects both our investment objectives and our investment approach. The policy includes criteria for determining whether a remuneration policy should be supported, along with criteria for determining independence and over-boarding of directors and the composition of board sub-committees.

ITEM 16: INVESTMENT DISCRETION

Our internal voting policy provides guidelines to assist analysts in their decision to vote. However, our research analysts review relevant issues case by case. Drawing on support from our Responsible Investment team and the accumulated knowledge of the company, analysts will make an informed judgement on how to vote.

The Firm only manages client accounts on a discretionary basis. The terms of this discretion are laid out in the IMA provided to all clients before the commencement of the investment management service. We have the right to retain, sell, buy, exchange or otherwise deal in investments without getting our client’s consent first. When we do this, we are guided by our investment objectives, taking into account our client’s investment constraints.

Clients may request a copy of our proxy voting policy at any time by contacting the Interim Chief Compliance Officer.