The COVID-19 global health crisis calls for all of us to act with empathy, think innovatively and contribute resources. As I shared last week, I believe the business community must help lead efforts to combat the spread of the virus. This week, I joined thousands of CEOs and business leaders who have signed on to “Stop the Spread,” a movement to lead the private sector’s response to COVID-19. Loomis Sayles is proud to join this group of bold leaders.
To support this mission, Loomis Sayles has committed major gifts to Boston Medical Center and the Greater Boston Food Bank, two of our longstanding partners. These organizations are already fighting this battle on the front lines and supporting some of the most vulnerable members of our communities. We are also continuing to support social distancing through our internal business processes. As of today, 98% of our global workforce is working from home, and we expect that to continue for the foreseeable future.
As this unprecedented crisis and period of market disruption persists, we remain steadfast in our commitment to support you with transparent communication. Since late February, we have hosted a series of client conference calls with many of our investment teams to share insight into how we are navigating these turbulent times and take direct questions from clients like you. Market insights, thought leadership pieces from our investors and my weekly updates are all published frequently on our website.
Thank you for the trust you place in Loomis Sayles as a partner and fiduciary. We often ask you to have a long-term investment horizon and look beyond short-term disruptions. Right now, many of you must focus on challenges in your larger portfolio and raise cash, and we will work closely to help you in those efforts. We also recognize that, at some point, your emphasis will shift to mining value for your portfolios, and we remain ready. Our strong fundamental research skills provide us with the expertise and confidence to do what you know us for, stepping into risk during turbulent times to capture value for the future.
It will take all of our efforts to weather this difficult period, but together we will come out the other side.
Wishing you, your colleagues and family good health.
Kevin P. Charleston
Chairman & CEO
