Amanda Young is a leading figure in sustainable finance, known for her strategic vision, long-standing industry leadership, and transformative impact on the integration of sustainability across global financial markets. Now an independent sustainability professional with nearly 3 decades of experience in financial services, she has shaped organisational strategy, advised boards, and guided institutions through the transition to responsible, purpose-led business models. Amanda previously served as Chief Sustainability Officer at Aberdeen Investments, where she defined and delivered the firm’s sustainable investment strategy and led the Investment Sustainability division. Her earlier career includes senior leadership positions at Newton Investment Management, CCLA Investment Management and Rabobank International, where she played a pivotal role in embedding ESG innovation and stewardship into investment practice. A graduate of Lancaster University with a BSc in Psychology, Amanda has also completed the University of Edinburgh Business School’s Executive Women’s Leadership Programme, reflecting her long-standing commitment to leadership excellence and the advancement of women in finance.
Amanda holds several influential governance and advisory positions, including her recent appointment on the Board of Crown Estate Scotland, as Senior Advisor to the Global Ethical Finance Institute and to Big Issue Invest, and as a member of the University of Edinburgh’s Responsible Investment Advisory Group. Her previous board appointments span Social Investment Scotland’s SIS Ventures fund and the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance association. She has chaired and contributed to numerous high-level industry and government groups, including the Investment Association’s Sustainability and Responsible Investment Committee, the Scottish Taskforce for Green and Sustainable Financial Services, the UK Government’s Taskforce on Social Impact Investment, the Scottish Purposeful Business Commission (as co-Chair) and the FTSE Russell’s ESG Advisory Committee. Widely recognised for her influence, Amanda has appeared on the ‘Financial News’ list of the Top 100 Most Influential Women in European Finance for six consecutive years. She was the inaugural winner of the Women in Investment Awards’ Sustainable & ESG Investment Woman of the Year (2021) and was named one of ‘Financial News’ Fifty Most Influential in Sustainable Finance in 2022. Amanda’s career is defined by her commitment to shaping a financial system that enables long-term value creation, social progress and environmental resilience – cementing her reputation as one of the sector’s most impactful and forward-thinking leaders.