French public pension scheme ERAFP has awarded an equity SRI mandate to Sycomore Asset Management.

The SRI French small-cap mandate has a target size of €150m, the independent French asset manager said.

It said the ERAFP mandate would be co-managed by the firm’s founding partner Cyril Charlot and Léa Dunand-Châtellet, head of ESG research.

Laurent Deltour, chairman and co-founder of Sycomore AM, said ERAFP’s decision validated the firm’s approach in ESG research, which was based solely on a proprietary analysis.

This allows it to integrate small and mid-cap firms and construct differentiated SRI portfolios, he said.

Meanwhile, the UK’s Strathclyde local government pension scheme has re-appointed Northern Trust as global custodian for a fourth consecutive term.

According to the agreement with the pension fund, Northern Trust will continue to provide global custody, securities lending, cash management and foreign exchange services for the fund’s £13.7bn (€16.6bn) of assets.

Richard McIndoe, head of pensions at Strathclyde, said the fund was very pleased to continue its longstanding relationship with Northern Trust.

He said the firm understood its specific needs and continued to show its commitment to the local government pension sector with its range of high-quality, tailored solutions.