Meet the team
Kevin Doran, Managing Director, Investment
Kevin’s role combines the Managing Director role for Investments at Scottish Widows with the Chief Investment Officer of the wider Lloyds Banking Group. Kevin is focused on Helping Britain Invest, through the design and distribution of investment solutions for our customers. Bringing customers closer to their investments whilst making their monies work harder. He previously held the MD and CIO roles at AJ Bell, having previously been Head of Strategy & Research at Quintet Private Bank and CIO at Brown Shipley.
Matthew Brennan, Head of Asset Allocation and Research
Matthew is the Head of Asset Allocation & Research at Scottish Widows. In this role, Matthew is responsible for setting the strategic asset allocation across Scottish Widows' multi-asset solutions. Through thought-leadership in asset allocation research, his team continuously develops and refines the company's approach to ensure optimal investment strategies.
Prior to this, Matthew served as Executive Director, Investment Oversight at Valu-Trac, an independent ACD. He also held significant roles at AJ Bell, including Head of Investment Management and Head of Passive Investments. His extensive experience spans private banking, hedge funds, and data analytics. Matthew graduated in 2011 with a first-class Maths degree and is a CFA charterholder.
Heather Coulson, Head of Portfolio Implementation and Portfolio Management
As Head of Portfolio Management & Implementation, Heather is responsible for the management of £170bn of policyholder funds and the selection, governance, and oversight of asset managers to bring the best of British and global asset managers to our customers. Heather was previously Head of Global Asset Allocation at Aberdeen, with more than a decade spent as a multi-asset manager focused on institutional mandates including bespoke solutions. Prior to her time spent in multi-asset, Heather was a fixed income credit analyst at SWIP and an equity analyst at Baillie Gifford where she started her career.
Mithesh Varsani, Head of Investment Solutions
Mithesh joined us in January 2025 as Head of Investment Solutions, responsible for understanding the evolving customer needs across our channels engaging with market participants, translating these into outcomes to develop innovative investment solutions. He joined from Mobius Life, where, as Chief Investment Officer, he spent 15 years playing an instrumental role in building an innovative, market-leading business focused on bespoke investment solutions for a broad range of investors, particularly institutional clients.
Mithesh brings a breadth of expertise across strategic research, asset allocation, and portfolio management, combined with deep experience in designing and implementing sophisticated investment strategies. He is a CFA Charterholder and graduated with a 1st Class Honours in Mathematics with Economics. He has a strong track record of understanding client needs and partnering with asset managers and stakeholders to address complex investment challenges, delivering solutions that drive better outcomes and create long-term value. A proven innovator in both the DB and DC marketplace, Mithesh has led the development of industry-firsts spanning from structured derivative solutions, private markets to sustainable assets.
Eva Cairns, Head of Responsible Investment
Eva is Head of Responsible Investment at Scottish Widows where she is leading the responsible investing strategy for one of UK’s largest asset owners, embedding it into the investments proposition to deliver good customer outcomes and driving efforts to engage and shape best practice across the industry. She has been actively involved in collaborative industry initiatives to drive forward best practice in responsible investing and advocate for a policy environment that enables investing in line with sustainability goals. She is a member of the UKSIF Board and IA Sustainability and Responsible Investment Committee.
Eva joined Scottish Widows from Aberdeen Investments where she was the Head of Sustainability Insights and Climate Strategy, responsible for leading research across key sustainability themes, including climate change, nature and social issues. She led Aberdeen’s climate strategy for Investments and has published a number of climate related papers including on net zero investing, climate scenario analysis, the credibility of net zero targets and the just transition. She graduated with an MSc in Economics with Distinction from the University of Edinburgh where her dissertation focused on the social cost of carbon.
Mark Gillan, Head of Investment Operations
Mark is Head of Investment Operations at Scottish Widows. He has a deep knowledge of custody, trade, fund and platform technology. He previously has held roles across the investment management industry including as Head of Product Governance at an Independent Authorised Corporate Director, Valu-Trac, and Head of Product at AJ Bell’s investment business. Prior to this, Mark’s background is in global custody and operations, including as Vice President of International Settlements at Bank of New York Mellon’s Pershing arm.
Get in touch
Gavin Jobson-Wood
Our Scottish Widows Intermediary Platform is designed to meet the evolving needs of today’s financial advisers. Explore our investment options, or contact our Scottish Widows Platform Investment Specialist Gavin Jobson-Wood.
Scott Brooks
We offer a wide and flexible range of workplace savings solutions, designed to meet employers’ different needs. For more information, please contact our Workplace Savings Specialist Scott Brooks.