Helping Castlefield Bring Responsible Investment to Life Online

Castlefield is a UK-based investment management firm with a difference. Their mission? To align financial success with positive environmental and social impact. With new funds launching and an increasing need to tell their story clearly to a diverse audience - ranging from individual investors to institutions, they knew their website needed to evolve. 

The existing site struggled to communicate Castlefield’s ESG ethos clearly and lacked the flexibility to support tailored journeys for different audience types. With the launch of a new Global Fund on the horizon, Castlefield also needed a dedicated space to showcase their investment holdings, a place where visitors could explore stocks in more depth, understand why each company was selected, and see how it aligned with their responsible investment approach. 

The brief was clear: make the website more user-friendly, more informative and more engaging, without overcomplicating things. 

Site Discovery 

We kicked things off with a series of collaborative workshops to map out user journeys for key audiences. Together with the Castlefield team, we explored what each type of visitor needed - from individual investors looking for guidance, to institutions after deep-dive data. 

These early sessions helped us define not just what needed to be on the site, but how it should be structured. It also gave us the foundations for developing more personalised journeys across the site.  

UX Design & Wireframes 

With clarity on the audience's needs, our UX and design team got to work creating a streamlined structure and clean, accessible visuals. The design focused on balance: professional but warm, clear but not clinical - just like Castlefield’s brand. 

We designed a flexible, easy-to-replicate conversion landing page template for campaigns, perfect for promoting events, reports, or other content via ads or emails. Minimal distractions, strong calls-to-action, and social proof baked in.  

Building a Bespoke Stock Directory 

The standout feature of this project was the creation of a dynamic Stock Directory - a first for Castlefield. 

We developed a fully filterable landing page where users can explore all of Castlefield’s fund holdings by company name, geography, or sector. Each stock tile opens to reveal a snapshot of why it was selected, what the company does, and how Castlefield is engaging with it, plus links to deeper insights when available. 

Each stock also has its own individual landing page showing key ESG metrics across 14 sustainability measures - giving investors a transparent view of how each company stacks up.  

To make ongoing content management smooth, we made sure the structure is scalable. As more funds launch, new directories can be easily added, each tailored to the specific holdings of that fund. 

Upgrading Castlefield’s Umbraco Website 

Behind the scenes, we upgraded Castlefield’s CMS from Umbraco 7 to the latest version bringing performance, security and usability benefits, and making content updates easier for their internal team. 

We also implemented clear tracking and analytics via Google to measure performance against success metrics, from user engagement to internal feedback. 

A Clearer, Friendlier User Journey 

Visitors to the Castlefield website can now quickly find the information most relevant to them, whether they’re an individual investor or a charity trustee. With intuitive navigation and targeted content blocks, the experience feels more personal, more focused, and much easier to digest. 

A New Way to Showcase Responsible Investment 

The new Stock Directory brings Castlefield’s responsible investing story to life. It gives users the ability to explore investments at a granular level - understanding not just what’s in the portfolio, but why it’s there. It also ties each stock back to Castlefield’s unique sustainability framework, closing the loop on their investment philosophy. 

With up to six directories planned (one for each fund), Castlefield now has a flexible foundation to scale.  

A New Website That Works Harder 

The reusable conversion landing pages give the Castlefield team more firepower for campaigns - without the need for custom builds every time. They’re focused, easy to spin up, and designed to convert. 

Positive Feedback & Measurable Results 

Initial feedback from colleagues, clients, and prospects has been overwhelmingly positive. Internally, the CMS is now much easier to manage, while Google Analytics is tracking how users engage with the new features, helping Castlefield continuously improve the experience. 

We helped Castlefield build a site that not only looks better but works harder. One that reflects who they are as a business and what they stand for. And one that’s ready for the future of responsible investing.