New Year, more of us

A big welcome to 2021 from Virtuvest.

While the beginning of 2021 has certainly presented its challenges, overall there is a real sense of enthusiasm around what this year can bring.

At Virtuvest, we are looking forward to getting stuck in and have been developing multiple ideas. These ideas have come from many places, including two individuals who, until now, we haven't named. They have been an integral part of Virtuvest and have helped us with building the network and driving positive change.

So, without further ado, meet Anna & Andrew:
       

Anna Dumas:  Hi, I'm Anna and I’ve spent the last decade researching and writing about the investment trends in the UK’s private wealth market, firstly as a journalist, and now as an investment writer and comms professional for a large, private investment office. Over that time I’ve seen the industry change almost beyond recognition; from a place where ethical investing was a sleepy backwater of the charity investment world, to an industry that now places ESG at the absolute forefront of the agenda. But, there is a great deal of work to be done.

I’ve joined Virtuvest because I think in creating a space for fund selectors to collaborate on their ESG thinking and research, it will give them the voice and collective power to drive positive change in our industry. Fund managers have done a great deal of work to embrace ESG, but it is fund selectors that ultimately need to dictate terms. Virtuvest helps them do exactly that, and I feel privileged to be a part of it.

Andrew Tickell:  Hello, my name is Andrew and I graduated from Warwick in 2019 with an Integrated Master's in Mathematics and Statistics. I am currently working as an intern at Sanlam Investments where one of my tasks is to help prepare the firm for the wave of ESG regulation coming into force this year.
 
My job at Virtuvest is to help run our social media accounts and to increase engagement with our members. One of my favourite things about the ethical investing space is how collaborative everyone is. That's why Virtuvest's mission to connect like-minded individuals and share expertise in order to contribute to the evolution of ethical investing really appealed to me.

2021 is sure to be an exciting year for ethical investing and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can achieve!

This year we have a number of plans in the pipeline. We'd love to engage with you all more, and showcase your expertise. We also want to gather best practice which we can share amongst ourselves. We all have those tough questions that clients ask, or issues we need to solve, and so we want Virtuvest to be your go-to place for support. Finally, our network is built for change and so a key focus this year will be gathering our members to make that impact. Keep an eye out for how to get involved.