Caroline Langley

What attracted you to a career in wealth management?

I enjoy being able to act on investment decisions through actual investing rather than just writing and recommending. I am empathetic by nature but also analytical and detailed; in my role both are key. 

I came to wealth management from a career that began at PwC.  There I audited Investment Management businesses and, after my MSc, was a consultant in its Sustainable Business Solutions division.  I have united those early experiences, along with now nearly 20 years’ investment experience, in my role today as an Investment Director in the Sustainable Investment Team at Quilter Cheviot, managing bespoke personal portfolios for private clients and charities.

What else are you passionate about?

I feel fortunate to be trusted by my clients to look after their wealth and I appreciate this is a big responsibility. I enable clients achieve their financial objectives whilst investing according to their values. I love the sense of purpose to find and invest in positive solutions addressing issues of climate change, resource scarcity and demographic changes. I also love to educate and be educated and I enjoy conversations with my clients and the professionals I meet and work with.  Investment is all about a fascination with what’s going on in the world and there is never a dull day. I hope to inspire clients to be fascinated too and not to be intimidated – investment management is not so different from shopping (buying and selling) and gardening (pruning and maintenance).

I have been fortunate to have had a wonderfully broad education at top universities.  I studied enthralling wide-ranging and unusual courses – Human Sciences at Oxford and Environmental Technology at Imperial College.  As well as my professional exams that have led me to be a Fellow of both the CISI and ICAEW, in 2023 I also completed a ‘Transformational Leadership’ programme. All this gives me the ability to see things from different perspectives; vital in my opinion for making sound investment decisions.

What are your interests outside of work?

I am passionate about constantly learning and being curious.  I read vivaciously on my commute from leafy Guildford. Top picks that have inspired me are “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek and “The 100-Year Life” by Lydia Gratton & Andrew Scott. My colleagues say I am enthusiastic and upbeat. I advocate for sustainable investment and customer service and strive to lead by example. 

My proudest moment still remains a presentation I made aged 25 at a WWF-Malaysia conference talking to government officials and other stakeholders about my MSc dissertation “Development Policy for Langkawi: The Environmental and Economic Implications of Encouraging Tourism”. At that age speaking to a large audience forced me way outside my comfort zone and I had the privilege of being able to translate my academic work into practical and novel recommendations. I am still proud of that moment, as it was the first time I felt I was making a difference.