 | Professional Qualifications I am a member of the Association of Professional Pension Trustees and have been granted Full Accreditation of Professional Pension Trustee status by that body I am also a member of the Trustee Group of the Pensions Management Institute and have passed two PMI examinations: (2015) Award in Pension Trusteeship (DB and DC Schemes) and (2020) Level 3 Certificate in Pension Trusteeship Unit 2 (Soft Skills). I have passed and maintain updates to the Pensions Regulator's Trustee Toolkit course at the distinction level for both Defined Contribution and Defined Benefit schemes. I consider this to be a basic grounding that all trustees should achieve. I also hold the Certificate in Investment Management (perhaps more commonly known as the IMC) examination from the CFA Society of the UK. |
| Pension Scheme Trustee - FTSE company In 2013, I accepted an appointment as Trustee Director for the combined Defined Benefit / Defined Contribution scheme for a well-known FTSE 250 company. I chair the Investment Committee and am a member of the Defined Contribution Committee as well as sitting on the main Trustee Board | |
| Pension Scheme Trustee - Large private company In 2017, I accepted an appointment as Trustee Director for the DB pension schemes of a large UK private company. I sit on the Investment Committee as well as sitting on the main Trust Board | |
| Independent Panel Member for Investment Fund In March 2016, I accepted an appointment as a member of the Independent Panel for the new Insight Investment Government Liquidity Fund. The role involves providing recommendations to the fund manager on protecting the interests of occupational pension schemes acting as fund counterparties. I served in this capacity for six years before leaving in 2022. | |
| UK Charity Pension Scheme - Consultant and Trustee In June 2014, I was pleased to accept an invitation to be co-opted onto a working party to assist the Trustees in the cost effective selection and implementation of an LDI mandate for the Pension Scheme of a well-known UK Charity. In 2017, I was delighted to accept an appointment to join the Trustee Board serving in that role for five years before leaving in 2022. | |
| Pension Scheme Chief Investment Officer From 2007 to 2011, I served as the Investment Director for a major UK defined benefit pension scheme, recruited by and responsible directly to the Investment Committee and the Trustee Board and headed a small in-house team. I was a sitting member of Investment Committee alongside the trustees, responsible for new investment ideas, manager selection, due diligence and all investment-related reporting as well as for managing scheme external advisory relationships within the investment/asset-liability management spheres. As a result of this experience, I have built my investment operational model around equal attention to assets, liabilities, funding and covenant : each of which has a profound effect on target investment strategies. | |
| Pensions from the Employer Perspective / Risk Management From 2004 to 2007, I served as the Head of Group Investment Risk for a key UK bank, responsible for defining and implementing a unified risk framework for the consolidation of "own funds" Treasury exposure of the core business divisions : VaR, factor sensitivity & stress testing : reporting to the Group Risk Committee and Group ALCO. I also developed the bank's first response to the challenge of integration of the in-house pension scheme risk within the Basel II framework. This built awareness of the employer's needs in building and funding a pension scheme as well an as early appreciation of the capital required: valuable experience for banks, insurance companies and - with the anticipated rollout of Solvency II - to pension schemes in general. | |
| Investment and Risk Management / Performance Measurement Between 1998 and 2003, I worked in a respected UK investment management house. Whilst there, I was mandated by the global CIO/CEO to perform a root and branch review of the role that investment risk management should take as a core part of the investment process and to put systems, people and structures in place to help portfolio managers take full account of key risk factors : tracking error, portfolio concentrations and style analysis : during porfolio construction. As a result of this I was appointed the Head of Investment Risk and Performance Measurement - in the latter capacity introducing production of performance attribution and putting the company through GIPS compliance for the first time. |
I am available for engagements of any period and offer clients a sensibly priced way to access 30 years of expertise in the capital markets, pensions and investment management and consulting sectors.
My background includes experience in many roles directly relevant to the DB/DC pensions space – see individual roles below – pension scheme trustee, leading the in-house pensions investment team and head of investment risk in asset management and retail/corporate banking.
I also work with asset managers on understanding and delivering their institutional client requirements; investment consultants and managers on product design and a corporate employer on DC pension design in the auto-enrolment environment.
My areas of particular expertise include auto-enrolment investment design, asset/liability management, manager and adviser relationship management, risk management and trustee/company liaison and training with a focus on Trustee Board and Investment Committee governance, participation and reporting.
I have a particularly strong network of contacts in pensions, consultants, fiduciary management, asset management, investment banking and the capital markets.
A full job history can be accessed on my LinkedIn profile and a formal CV is available on request.
