Investing responsibly is not a fad. For us, it is an investment belief.
By building responsibility into all our investment processes, we aim to improve our risk management and investment performance while at the same time help to create more sustainable investment solutions fit for the future. As an active owner of capital, our scale and influence help us drive the change required to build a future our clients are able to retire into.
Our contribution to a changing world
We’ve been using our voice to drive positive change for five decades. The business and investment cases for acting responsibly are hard to dispute these days. Companies that conduct their business in a respectful and sustainable way are more likely to succeed over time, benefiting both you and society. Bad practices don’t just hit the headlines, they hit the bottom line as well.
I believe investors have a vital role to play in pushing for change on society’s biggest issues, from climate change to diversity; from environmental degradation to human rights. I am proud that Aviva Investors has long been at the forefront of investor action on these issues.
It is only through commitment, passion and genuine collaboration that we can bring our sustainable aspirations to life. By acting collaboratively across asset classes, locations and our multiple stakeholders, we are able to instigate change through continual active engagement, voting and market reform initiatives.
Our highlights
Delivering a sustainable future will only happen if we all take action to create positive change. We have delivered for our clients by making active sustainable choices in how we invest and drive change in the world.
Shaping a sustainable world
Aviva Investors scored A+ in the 2020 Annual United Nations Principles for Responsible Investing (UNPRI) report. We are a founding signatory to the UNPRI and catalysed the development of the SSE and World Benchmarking Alliance that aims to publicly rank 2000 companies on ESG credentials.
Our unique approach to responsible investing
We are united by a firm-wide ambition to work with and for our clients to do what is right for them, society and the world around us.
Responsibility built-in
We employ systematic and robust consideration of material ESG factors in investment decisions, led by insight that goes beyond the conventional. Beyond any applicable binding criteria, our portfolio managers are empowered to make the right decision for the best client outcome, supported by ESG research integrated into our investment franchises via specialist teams.
Shaping our future
Making a difference does not stop with our investments. We work in partnership with clients, policymakers and regulators, sharing knowledge and collaborating to build a sustainable future for us all. We are committed to reforming capital markets and empowering our clients to make informed choices.
We know what it takes to make a difference
It takes working together to drive sustainable transition across People, Climate, and Earth. It takes Aviva Investors.

See change in action
Climate change is the biggest systemic challenge of our time. Discover how we're approaching climate action and supporting the transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient world.


Responsible Investment Annual Review 2021
This year’s Responsible Investment Annual Review seeks to demonstrate how Aviva Investors has turned talk into action in 2021. We are proud advocates of the Financial Reporting Council's (FRC) UK Stewardship Code and this report details the impact that our responsible investment approach has had on our clients and on the society we serve.
Responsibility built-in
Find out how we integrate ESG into our investment processes as a firm and in every asset class.
Investment risk
The value of an investment and any income from it can go down as well as up. Investors may not get back the original amount invested.
Our latest views
-
Equities
Buy it or build it: Why innovation is key in healthcare
1 Jun 2023
Healthcare is a dynamic industry, but patent expiries from 2025 and drug-price reform in the US pose challenges. Innovation will be key for continued success, as experts from our credit, equity and ESG teams explain.
-
Real Assets
Can they, should they, will they? Is now the time for illiquid assets in DC?
31 May 2023
What role could private assets play in UK defined-contribution pension schemes, where decision-makers are searching for returns and diversification? Heather Brown from our UK pensions team consults a panel of specialists.
-
Equities
Global megatrends: How climate, nature and social change will reshape economies
30 May 2023
Climate change, natural resource scarcity and social shifts are transforming the corporate landscape. Investors need to understand the implications of these sustainability megatrends to manage risks and seize opportunities.
-
Equities
Gains or glitches? What generative AI means for investors
24 May 2023
The release of ChatGPT has heralded an artificial intelligence boom. We assess the investment and ESG considerations.
-
Real Assets
Why are we waiting? Time for UK infrastructure to pick up pace
22 May 2023
After a slow start to the year, Darryl Murphy ponders what it will take to get the UK infrastructure market moving again.
-
Real Assets
Short-term headwinds, structural tailwinds: Making sense of a complex landscape for climate transition real assets
17 May 2023
Volatility presents challenges and opportunities for investors. James Tarry and Luke Layfield discuss what’s next for real asset investors focused on the climate transition.
-
Responsible Investing
LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace: Creating psychological safety
11 Apr 2023
Each experience is unique, but lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary and other non-heteronormative people (LGBTQ+) still face huge challenges, in and out of the workplace. Companies should do more to support them and foster a culture of inclusion.
-
Responsible Investing
Supply and demand: Tackling both sides of the carbon emissions equation
5 Apr 2023
Despite progress through our Climate Engagement Escalation Programme, more action is needed from the world’s 30 systemically important carbon emitters, as Sora Utzinger and Louise Wihlborn explain.
-
Real Assets
Out with the old: Why real estate investors need to work harder, smarter, better
30 Mar 2023
Faced with a more challenging outlook for returns, real-estate equity investors must get more sophisticated and active, argue Ben Sanderson and David Hedalen.
-
Responsible Investing
On target: Why SBTs trump net zero at changing behaviour
28 Mar 2023
Investors must push companies to play their part in tackling the climate crisis by adopting science-based targets, argues Rick Stathers.
-
Equities
Shifting tides: Can we clean up forever chemicals?
27 Mar 2023
Litigation is mounting, regulation is tightening, and 3M will exit the production of PFAS. Will others follow suit, and can we remove PFAS and other forever chemicals from our drinking water?
-
Equities
The investment implications of peak fossil fuels
24 Mar 2023
Energy analyst Kingsmill Bond considers if peak fossil-fuel consumption has been reached and whether investors appreciate the implications.
-
Responsible Investing
Integrating ESG in multi-strategy portfolios
23 Mar 2023
Multi-strategy portfolios have come a long way in embedding ESG into the investment process, but there are gaps to fill, as Jennie Byun explains.
-
Fixed income
Climate adaptation and resilience: Preparing for a warmer, wilder world
22 Mar 2023
Millions of hours have been spent negotiating net-zero targets, but many human-led climate impacts are already locked in. Our credit and equities portfolio managers explain where they see opportunities in solutions providers that will help society adapt for the new reality.
-
Fixed income
All change: Positioning for a new market regime and climate action in IG credit
17 Mar 2023
Justine Vroman and Tom Chinery discuss the opportunities in investment-grade credit to drive climate action.
-
Responsible Investing
Engaging on neurodiversity: What can be learned from other DE&I initiatives
10 Mar 2023
Many diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives have seen improvements in recent years, but neurodiversity has not progressed at the same pace. Abigail Herron explores what can be applied from other successful DE&I campaigns to put neurodiversity firmly in the spotlight.
Our team
Our people embedding ESG across Aviva Investors

Steve Waygood
Chief Responsible Investment Officer

Abigail Herron
Global Head of ESG and Strategic Partnerships

Mirza Baig
Global Head of ESG Investments

Eugenie Mathieu
Earth Lead

Thomas Dillon
Head of ESG – Sovereign

Thomas Tayler
Senior Manager, Sustainable Finance Centre for Excellence

Nathan Leclercq
Senior Corporate Governance Analyst

Louise Piffaut
Head of ESG Equity Integration

Sora Utzinger
Senior ESG Analyst

Rebecca Vine
Senior Corporate Governance Analyst

Doris Ko
ESG Operations Manager

Vaidehee Sachdev
Social Lead

Stanley Kwong
ESG Associate Director, Real Assets
1 'Voting Matters 2021: Are asset managers using their proxy votes for action on environmental and social issues?' ShareAction, 2021. Responsible investment NGO ShareAction analysed the voting decisions of 65 of the world’s largest asset managers on 146 shareholder resolutions across environmental and social issues in 2021.