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.
Note: ESG and Climate related engagement, goals and exclusions can vary at the investment strategy and portfolio level depending upon country, jurisdiction and individual client needs.
Our latest views
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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.
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Equities
Gas versus renewables: Does natural gas have a future?
8 Mar 2023
The war in Ukraine has thrown up huge uncertainties around the role of gas in the energy system. Experts from our credit, ESG and real assets teams discuss the implications for traditional energy and renewables companies.
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Real Assets
To build or not to build, that is the question: Decarbonising the built environment
28 Feb 2023
We assess the financial and environmental pros and cons of developing new buildings versus retrofitting old ones.
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Real Assets
Pragmatism, policy and pace: An interview with Julie Hirigoyen
20 Feb 2023
The chief executive of the UK Green Building Council sets out her blueprint for a net-zero-aligned property and construction industry. Words by Miles Costello.
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Responsible Investing
The economics of renewables: Challenges and solutions
10 Feb 2023
Meeting 2050 net-zero targets will require adding renewable energy capacity at scale and speed. Can it make financial sense, or will we need to rely on our commitment to do the right thing?
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Responsible Investing
Our annual letter to company chairpersons
6 Feb 2023
Every January, we send a letter to the chairs of companies we invest in (and some we don’t, but still want to influence) to set out our stewardship priorities for the year. Here, in full, is our 2023 letter.
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Real Assets
Why infrastructure investors better beat beta: End of cheap-money era brings risks and opportunities
25 Jan 2023
Benign macroeconomic conditions have boosted infrastructure investments over the past decade. But with higher interest rates, investors in the asset class will have to show they can create true value, says Darryl Murphy.
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Equities
Charging up: Batteries and the fight against climate change
5 Jan 2023
Batteries are set to play a crucial role in helping to decarbonise the global transport and energy sectors. As capital floods into an industry experiencing exponential growth, we look at the key considerations for investors.
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What does the data say?
What does the data say? Reflections on COP27
14 Dec 2022
In this month’s instalment of our visual series on topical themes, we look at climate in the aftermath of November’s COP27 event in Egypt.
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Real Assets
Building to net zero: The outlook for climate transition real assets
8 Dec 2022
James Tarry and Luke Layfield explore how the accelerating climate transition is creating risks and opportunities for real assets investors.
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Responsible Investing
Confronting a permacrisis? The intersection between antimicrobial resistance, climate change and biodiversity loss
23 Nov 2022
Will a warmer and less biodiverse world give pathogens new opportunities, and do we have the tools to confront disease? This report discusses the complex intersection of three planetary crises and calls for urgent action to slow resistance to antimicrobial drugs – an obvious public health emergency.
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Responsible Investing
Act now: A climate emergency roadmap for the international financial architecture
1 Nov 2022
To help tackle the climate emergency, financial institutions and governments must work together to reform the global financial architecture and create a more robust net-zero transition plan, argue Steve Waygood and Thomas Tayler.
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Real Assets
ESG considerations for social housing
28 Oct 2022
Social housing plays a pivotal role in providing affordable housing for those most in need of it, benefiting local communities and countries as a whole. But investors considering an allocation to the asset class must pay close attention to the ESG implications, argues Mikhaila Crosby.
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Responsible Investing
Alpha, asset stranding and action: The state of play in Climate Transition Credit
6 Oct 2022
Will new climate legislation accelerate the transition, or will the energy crisis hamper it? Thomas Chinery and Justine Vroman assess the implications for strategically positioned bondholders.
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Responsible Investing
Reframe and reclaim: How to win the ESG argument
6 Oct 2022
To restore trust in ESG, we need to be much clearer on its limitations as well as its strengths, argues Mirza Baig.
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Real Assets
Resilience and selectivity: The outlook for real estate long income
5 Oct 2022
Renos Booth, Isabel Gossling and Kris McPhail from our real estate long income team discuss the strengths of long-income strategies in a period of high inflation and rising rates.
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
Impact Analyst - Earth Pillar Lead

Thomas Dillon
Head of ESG – Sovereign

Thomas Tayler
Senior Manager, Sustainable Finance Centre for Excellence

Nathan Leclercq
Senior Corporate Governance Analyst

Louise Piffaut
Senior ESG analyst

Sora Utzinger
Senior ESG Analyst

Rebecca Vine
Senior Corporate Governance Analyst

Doris Ko
ESG Operations Manager

Vaidehee Sachdev
Impact Analyst - Social Pillar Lead

Stanley Kwong
ESG Associate Director, Real Assets

Charles Devereux
ESG Analyst
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.
2 ShareAction examines 75 of the most influential asset managers worldwide on responsible investment governance, climate change, biodiversity and human rights; each participant was assigned a rating applicable to their aggregated score, from AAA through E grade.