Quilter Investors has hired Marisol Hernandez (pictured), the former head of asset owners at PRI, as its head of responsible investment.
She replaces Eimear Toomey, who left in July to take up a role at Capital Group.
During her four years at PRI, which is supported by the United Nations, Hernandez was tasked with developing programmes for the selection, appointment, and monitoring of investment managers and passive investments. In all, she has more than 15 years of experience in the industry, and has held consultancy roles at Allenbridge Investment Solutions and Adobe.
Hernandez has also been a board member at ESG advisory firm NorthPeak since December 2020.
At Quilter Investors, she will report to CEO Marcus Brookes, who said: “We are delighted to be welcoming someone of Marisol’s abilities and experience to Quilter Investors. We have come a long way in a short space of time in implementing responsible investment, and we are proud of the products and services we have in place for advisers. However, we recognise that there is more to be done and that we cannot rest on our laurels.”
Hernandez noted the challenges that have arisen as a result of the recent popularity of responsible investment, citing the confusion surrounding “terminology and approaches”. She added: “As such, it has become crucial to be clear and precise in what it is we want to achieve in this space, where people, profits and planet can coexist. Quilter Investors has the ambition and drive to make responsible investment a success and make it part of the fabric of financial advice; I am excited to be part of this journey.”
Her appointment follows a mixed quarter for the wider firm, as falling net inflows contributed to a drop of 2% in assets under management and administration. The share price of parent group Quilter plc now sits at around 92p, down 48% since the start of the year, as the firm prepares for Steven Levin to step into the top job.
