1. Innovation can feel like a buzzword in asset management. What does it mean at Aviva Investors?

Mark Versey:
For us, innovation starts with understanding our client needs. Clients are often trying to achieve multiple objectives at once—our role is to break their challenges into addressable parts. We then build integrated solutions using our existing platform and components while also evolving our platform to meet future demands.

At its core this means building solutions that can deliver stable returns for a given risk budget, while integrating portfolio constraints and preferences. For example, clients may want liability solutions that optimise for long term yield, regulatory capital and sustainability; multi-asset solutions that span the retirement journey for workplace pension funds; bespoke MPS wealth offerings and products which bring increased access to private markets or include smoothed managed funds for stability.

Innovation also means creating access to new asset classes for many clients, such as carbon removal and venture capital. Or in private markets, for example, it can include improving speed of deployment and risk/return outcomes through multi sector approaches to private debt.