Why work for us?

Employee profiles

Words from our people

Head of Sustainability Research and Engagement

Career path to date
I joined in 2007 as Head of Engagement and promoted to Head of Sustainability Research and Engagement in 2008.

Why did you want to join Aviva Investors?
The reputation of the SRI team as being among the world leading, the robust and transparent stance we have on voting at company AGMs, the integrity of our engagement with listed companies on issues such as corporate governance and climate change and human rights.

What do you enjoy about working for Aviva Investors?
Teamwork - The ability to work across a large financial institution to build innovative campaigns like our Sustainable Stock Exchange initiative which help to make capitalism work better.

What would you recommend Aviva Investors as an employer to others?
The culture allows people with ideas to develop them and make them happen. The support of a strong and stable parent company enables long term thinking and planning.

Why do you see your future being at Aviva Investors?
The strength of senior support and leadership for maintaining Aviva Investor's brand for integrity.  I have the ability to tap into the significant power and reach of one of the world's leading financial institutions. Where the industry is conflicted, Aviva Investors is comfortable taking alternative positions to the industry on matters that matter.

Client Investment Director

Career path to date
My own career has covered a number of areas since joining as the SRI Client Portfolio Manager, including managing the Product Specialist team, a move to sales and more latterly as the Client Portfolio Manager for Asset Allocation. In my current role as Client Investment Director I am responsible for bridging our global investment teams - Equities, Fixed Income, Real Estate and Global Investment Solutions with a team of over 40 people covering the Client Portfolio Managers, RFP, Product Innovation and Investment Communication functions based across Europe, North America and Asia.

Why did you want to join Aviva Investors?
I was attracted to Aviva Investors because of the existing scale of the global business, combined with the strategic vision and ambition to build a global market leading asset manager. Joining an organisation that already had a strong platform and broad client base combined with ambitious growth targets provided an opportunity to be part of and contribute to, turning the vision into reality.

What do you enjoy about working for Aviva Investors?
I enjoy the challenge that comes with the scale of ambition. We have bright motivated people and healthy lack politics for a large organisation with a flat structure that respects people for who they are. The corporate culture is best described as performance driven, thoughtful and totally client focused which facilitates pride in the organisation and recognises individuals for their contribution.

Why would you recommend Aviva Investors as an employer to others?
Aviva Investors provides the opportunity for personal development and growth, recognising individuals with rewarding career paths and a diverse set of opportunities underpinned with clear personal development plans. Aviva Investors is a great place to work and one where you will be recognised as an individual for what you can contribute. Aviva Investors has changed massively from a UK centric organisation to a global company. The scale of ambition has grown and the quality of our products has expanded across Real Estate, Fixed Income, Equities and Investment Solutions giving us a unique offering - stability of being part of a large insurance group with the power to innovate across the whole water front of products from cash to alternative investments. This in turn gives us the ability to focus on client needs rather than push products at our clients.

Why do you see your future being at Aviva Investors?
The future for Aviva Investors is in the hands of its people. This may sound like a cliché, but it is true. We have the financial support and backing of our parent, Aviva, a visionary management team that has outlined an ambitious growth target supported by a clear vision, but we have to deliver and achieve these targets.

Fund Manager

Career path to date
I joined as a graduate in 2005 and seconded to various parts of the business before joining the UK Equities team as an analyst. This involved making recommendations to more senior members of the team in terms of potential and existing investments in companies. After about two years, I was given a more hands on role, assisting with the fund management process and not long after was given dual management responsibility for a smaller fund. During this time I was also studying for the CFA exams which I have now successfully completed. Most recently, I have taken on sole fund management responsibility for the fund previously mentioned as well as being promoted to fund manager of a significantly larger UK Equities fund.

Why did you want to join Aviva Investors?
As a graduate, it was important that I worked in an organisation willing to develop my career over the longer term.The additional benefit of coming to Aviva Investors was that, as one of the largest asset managers in the country, this willingness was combined with the resources required to really drive my development as quickly as possible. The backing of one of the country's largest insurance companies also held significant appeal from a corporate stability perspective. This has proven to be a real positive over the last two years as financial markets have become more uncertain.

What do you enjoy about working for Aviva Investors?
The size of the organisation means that opportunities for career progression are likely to arise on a more regular basis than in a smaller organisation. In addition, there is a good degree of flexibility in how you approach things while still having the backing and guidance of more experienced colleagues.

Why would you recommend Aviva Investors as an employer to others?
Scale can be criticised (e.g. we're an oil tanker), but can also be a positive and shouldn't be underestimated. It provides all sorts of opportunities, from meeting company management to experiencing a broad range of investment approaches and asset classes, as well as the potential to have real influence in the UK market place.

Why do you see your future being at Aviva Investors?
The opportunity to progress and form an individual fund management style. I would like to think that as long as I continue to succeed, these will be encouraged by Aviva Investors. It is also important to recognise that our industry is very performance orientated so you need to be in an organisation where you feel you can work to the best of your ability and despite the relatively high staff turnover within the industry as a whole; I believe that continuity is a key aspect of this.