Skip to main content

Quilter Cheviot appoints former COP negotiator to Responsible Investment team

Date: 15 August 2025

2 minute read

15 August 2025

Quilter Cheviot has today announced the appointment of Yumna Yusuf as a responsible investment analyst.

Yusuf joins Quilter Cheviot from Schroders, where she held the role of Climate Engagement Associate within the sustainable investment team and co-developed and implemented a firmwide multi-year climate engagement and escalation framework.

Prior to this, Yusuf spent six years in government roles, including at Ofsted, the Department for Transport and for three years at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy where she served as an official climate negotiator for the UN COP25 and COP26.

Yusuf will report to Gemma Woodward, head of responsible investment at Quilter Cheviot, and will support the firm’s stewardship programme and thematic engagement efforts.

The responsible investment team at Quilter Cheviot oversees the company’s stewardship programme, ESG integration and ESG screening as well as supporting more targeted solutions for clients who want their portfolios to reflect specific interests or preferences.

Gemma Woodward, head of responsible investment at Quilter Cheviot, said: “We are delighted to welcome Yumna to the team. Her experience across both the public and private sectors, particularly in climate engagement and international policy, will be invaluable as we continue to bolster our responsible investment capabilities.

“Yumna has a wealth of experience across environmental and social policy issues, and this will help us deepen our engagement with companies and ensure we are delivering meaningful outcomes for our clients.”

Yumna Yusuf, responsible investment analyst at Quilter Cheviot, added: “Responsible investment plays a critical role in building client portfolios and understanding where potential risks and opportunities lie. As such, I’m excited to be joining Quilter Cheviot, who have embedded stewardship and engagement into their investment process for a considerable amount of time. I look forward to contributing to that work and engaging constructively with companies on their own business practices.”

Gregor Davidson

Senior External Communications Manager