Deborah Gilshan FCG

Deborah provides independent, strategic advice on investment stewardship, sustainable finance, the integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors and diversity. She has extensive experience engaging globally with board directors, senior leaders, regulators and investors through a career spanning over two decades in institutional investment. Deborah serves on the Advisory Panel of the UK’s Financial Reporting Council. She is a Fellow of The Chartered Governance Institute and chairs the Nomination Committee of the International Corporate Governance Network.

An Ambassador of the 30% Club, the global initiative to promote diversity, Deborah was instrumental in building the 30% Club UK Investor Group into a global coalition of institutional investors with £11 trillion assets under management. To further demonstrate Deborah’s commitment to gender equality, she founded The 100% Club in October 2011. Deborah has been recognised for her work on empowering the female talent pipeline and promoting gender diversity. 

Previously, Deborah was an Investment Director in the ESG team at Aberdeen Standard Investments and, prior to that, Head of Sustainable Ownership at Railpen. She started her career in responsible investment at the UK’s Co-operative Insurance Society in December 2000. Deborah initially worked in corporate tax at EY and read Mathematics & English at the University of Manchester.

Deborah is a regular commentator on investment stewardship, corporate governance, sustainability and diversity and her work has featured in the Financial Times, the New York Times, Sky News, the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and other mainstream financial media. She is the lead author of two publications: The Ethics of Diversity for the UK’s Institute of Business Ethics (2020) and Say on Pay: Six Years On – Lessons from the UK Experience for Railpen with Pensions & Investment Research Consultants (2009).

To enquire about the advisory services available or about membership of The 100% Club network and collaborative opportunities for future events, please get in touch.