Lucy Walker is founder, chair, board director and advisor in investment management, technology and not-for-profit. In 2020 she founded AM Insights, a fund data platform helping asset management distribution teams add more value with clients. She is Chair of the Aurora Investment Trust, and Senior Independent Director of Henderson International Income Trust. She is a former head of fund research and fund manager at Sarasin & Partners, advising on over £1.2 billion of assets for charities and high net worth individuals, and before that was at HSBC Global Asset Management. Lucy has been regularly featured in publications including the FT and The Telegraph, and was shortlisted for Fund Manager of the Year at the Women in Investment awards. She holds BSc Economics and is a CFA charterholder.

Q1. Why is corporate culture becoming more important to you when deciding who you allocate assets to?

Culture is a crucial part of the research process because fund managers do not operate in a vacuum. The two most important factors are knowing the manager is: 1) genuinely supported to stick to their knitting in good times & bad, and 2) being appropriately challenged by their colleagues.

Q2. In your view, why is it important to set a higher standard of stewardship and behaviour within the investment industry?

Our industry has a bad rep and in part that is for good reason. Horror stories such as Woodford show what happens when an individual has so much power and authority that people are afraid to speak up. It is imperative not only for the industry, but for wider society, for asset managers to place high value on the behaviours of their managers and teams.

Q3. Why did you decide to sit on the ACT Stewardship Council and what does it mean to you personally?

It has been fantastic to see the impact Bev & Mandy have already had on our industry. I am a huge supporter of anything which helps protect the interests of clients, and ACT undoubtedly does. I am proud AM Insights was the first fund data platform to include ACT as a datapoint - the first of many!