7 October 2026 | IN-PERSON | Grand Connaught Rooms, London

The DC Growth & Retirement Summit

AGENDA

09:00 - 09:30

Registration & Refreshments

Networking Activity | Foyer | 09:00 – 09:30

Devil’s Advocates Panel

Our morning Devil’s Advocates will challenge speakers with incisive questions throughout the sessions and present their key reflections and takeaways just before lunch.

09:30 - 09:45

Welcome & Introduction

Opening Remarks | Auditorium

09:45 - 10:15

Building a Better Pensions System

Keynote Presentation | Auditorium

The keynote will explore how sweeping UK pension reforms — from the 2026 Pension Schemes Act to Value for Money and Pensions Commission initiatives — are driving tougher performance scrutiny, greater scale and efficiency, and reshaping DC scheme design, retirement outcomes, and member experience.

10:15 - 10:55

VFM as the Engine of Adequacy

Panel Discussion | Auditorium

This panel will examine how a stronger focus on value for money — through reforms to auto-enrolment, improved engagement, and clearer communication — can boost contributions and tackle DC savings adequacy ahead of any increases in minimum rates.

10:55 - 11:20

Networking Break

Networking Activity | Foyer

11:20 - 11:40

Geopolitical Turmoil, Markets & DC Investing

Presentation | Auditorium

This session will explore how geopolitical tensions, including the Iran conflict, are reshaping the DC investment landscape through inflation, interest rate shifts and regional divergence, and what trustees and providers must consider when managing portfolios in a more uncertain environment.

11:40 - 12:05

The Psychology of Saving in an Uncertain World

Presentation | Auditorium

This session will examine how psychological traits and real-world financial pressures — intensified by geopolitical uncertainty — shape saving behaviours, revealing why individuals respond so differently to today’s challenging environment and what this means for improving retirement outcomes.

The Psychology of Saving in an Uncertain World

Presentation

Session Description

Our speaker will revisit the deep psychological and practical barriers that stop people from saving, now with a new lens: how today’s heightened geopolitical tensions and economic shocks are amplifying those behaviours.
Building on his landmark research into how age, income, education, personality, culture and beliefs shape saving habits, he will explore why some individuals stay disciplined while others become even more vulnerable to avoidance, anxiety or short‑term thinking when the world feels unstable.
Alongside these psychological drivers, he will examine the real‑world pressures of rising costs, debt burdens, financial insecurity and low trust that make saving harder during turbulent times.
For anyone seeking to understand why people react so differently to the same financial environment, this session will offers a sharp, timely perspective on the forces shaping Britain’s saving behaviour today.

Speakers in this Session

Adrian Furnham

Professor of Psychology

University College London

Adrian Furnham was educated at the London School of Economics where he obtained a distinction in an MSc Econ., and at Oxford University where he completed a doctorate (D.Phil) in 1981. He has subsequently earned a D.Sc(1991) and D.Litt (1995) degree.

Previously a lecturer in Psychology at Pembroke College, Oxford, he was Professor of Psychology at University College London from 1992 to 2018. He has lectured widely abroad and held scholarships and visiting professorships at, amongst others, the University of New South Wales, the University of the West Indies, the University of Hong Kong and the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He has also been a Visiting Professor of Management at Henley Management College. He has also been made Adjunct Professor of Management at the Norwegian Business School(2009) and Honorary Professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (2014). He is currently the Principal Psychologist at Stamford Associates.

He consults to many organisations in various different sectors (particularly airlines, banks, civil service) and in many different countries (particularly continental Europe and Asia). He is also an experienced conference speaker doing around a dozen key-note speeches a year all around the world

He has written over 1500 scientific papers and 99 books. He is on the editorial board of a number of international journals, as well as the past elected President of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences. He is also a founder director of Applied Behavioural Research Associates (ABRA), a psychological consultancy established over 30 years ago.

12:05 - 12:45

Optimising DC Asset Allocation - Powering Growth, Securing Resilience

Panel Discussion | Auditorium

The panel will explore how UK DC schemes can enhance long-term returns by refining asset allocation — leveraging private markets, infrastructure and global equities — while strengthening governance, diversification and resilience amid geopolitical and regulatory change.

Optimising DC Asset Allocation - Powering Growth,
Securing Resilience

Panel Discussion

Session Description

This session examines how UK DC schemes can unlock stronger long‑term returns by focusing on the asset allocation decisions that matter most.
Against the backdrop of the Mansion House reforms and profound geopolitical turmoil, the panel will assess the long-term outlook for major growth engines such as private markets, infrastructure, global equities and active fixed income, and how these can be combined to build portfolios with genuine resilience.
Speakers will explore the practical levers of performance:  adopting higher‑conviction growth allocations, improving implementation and governance, and using diversification to withstand geopolitical and macroeconomic shocks.
With insights from trustees, providers and asset managers, the discussion will set out how DC schemes can design portfolios that not only capture long‑term growth but remain robust through market cycles, ultimately delivering better outcomes for members.

Speakers in this Session

Ruari Grant

Head of Policy & External Affairs

TPT

Ruari will be joining TPT as Head of Policy and External Affairs in October 2025, and will look after external engagement on policy issues across DB, DC and CDC.
Prior to TPT, he is Head of DC & Master Trust at Pensions UK leading the policy team’s work on topics including decumulation, value for money, scale/consolidation and DC investment.
Before that, he spent seven years working in policy and public affairs at Standard Life and Aberdeen.

Ped Phrompechrut

Chief Investment Officer

Future Growth Capital

Ped joined from Schroders as Chief Investment Officer of Future Growth Capital and is responsible for investment strategy and portfolio performance.

Previously, Ped led the development of the multi-private asset solutions investment process at Schroders Capital. He was lead manager for the pioneering Schroders Climate+ Long-Term Asset Fund, and other successful multi-private markets funds and mandates.

Before joining Schroders, Ped was a consultant with Willis Towers Watson. He has worked with leading asset owners and asset managers around the world, bringing a unique combination of advisory perspective, strategic investment insight, and portfolio management expertise to multi-private markets investing.

Ped has an MBA from the London Business School and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Ohio University. He is a CFA charter holder and holds the ESG Investing Certificate from the CFA Institute.

Mitesh Sheth

Former CEO - Redington

Former CIO - Newton IM

Mitesh is an actuary, investment executive and board-level leader with experience of building successful teams, scaling businesses and developing innovative solutions. Recognised with an MBE for his leadership in industry-wide diversity and inclusion efforts, he brings a unique blend of compassionate leadership, creative problem-solving, commercial acumen, and strategic thinking.

He has recently founded OrgAlpha, a boutique consultancy, helping forward-thinking CEOs, founders and Boards to align the potential within their people and technology, to solve problems that really matter.

Professionally, Mitesh has held a number of leadership positions, including CEO of Redington, Chief Investment Officer for Multi-Asset at Newton Investment Management and Head of Fixed Income at Henderson Global Investors.

Personally, he has many interests including acting and he will performing in his eldest daughter’s five-star rated play ‘the Expulsion of Exulansis’ at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer, to raise awareness for teenage mental health.

Robert Waugh

Chair

L&G Master Trust

Robert is the Independent Chair of Legal & General’s Master Trust, and sits on their Investment Committee.
Prior to this role, Robert was CEO and co-Chief Investment Officer of the Natwest Pension Scheme. Robert was instrumental in the turnaround of the funding position post the global financial crisis, closing the deficit. He oversaw the outsourcing of the administration and the digitalisation of the member journeys, taking the retirement journey from many weeks to 20 minutes.
Robert has extensive Defined Contribution pension experience having chaired the RBS Retirement Saving Plan. He has been a non executive on the investment committee for the Department of International Development, a board member of the Cost Transparency Initiative, and is currently an investment committee member of the Carnegie Trust of Scotland.
Earlier in his career, Robert was Head of UK Equities at Scottish Widows Investment Partnership for seven years, having spent the previous 15 years as an equity fund manager at UBS Phillips and Drew.
Robert is passionate about members’ experiences and member outcomes, and a keen believer in the role of universal ownership in improving society for future generations.

12:45 - 13:05

Key to the Asset Mix - Active Equities

Presentation | Auditorium

In this sponsored session by Royal London Asset Management, experts will explore how actively managed fixed income can deliver better value in DC default strategies without significantly increasing costs—highlighting its potential as a foundational asset class that aligns with both performance and responsible investment goals under the new Value for Money regulations.

Key to the Asset Mix - Active Equities

Presentation

Session Description

Our speaker will make the case for active equities as a core part of DC default strategies by showing how skilled managers can find growth opportunities that passive indices overlook. Examples include strong companies that are undervalued, businesses improving their quality and resilience, and firms benefiting from long‑term structural trends.
S/he will explain how active stewardship supports long‑term value creation through engagement on climate transition, governance, and capital allocation, and assess where active management can add value in terms of risk‑adjusted returns, market efficiency, and member outcomes.

Speakers in this Session

13:05 - 13:15

Devil’s Advocates Summary

The Devil’s Advocates will give their summary of the main debating points, conclusions and action points from the morning sessions.

13:15 - 14:00

Lunch

Devil’s Advocates Panel

Throughout the afternoon, our panel of Devil’s Advocates will challenge speakers with thought-provoking questions and close the day by sharing their key insights and takeaways from the discussions.

Sophia Singleton

Partner & Head of DC

XPS Pensions Group

Sophia joined XPS Pensions Group in June 2020 to lead their DC business, helping clients deliver top class DC services to their members. Prior to that, she led Aon’s DC Consulting business.

Sophia has over 24 years’ experience in the UK pensions industry and advises corporates and trustees on a range of DC pension solutions, developing and delivering DC strategies that optimise scheme design, ensuring effective governance and improving member outcomes.

She is a well-known industry and media commentator on DC market developments and feels passionately that we must tackle short-term financial resilience as well as deliver better long-term post-retirement products, if we’re going to help today’s workforce to retire with the security and lifestyle they want; she is regularly quoted in the press and presents on DC issues at industry events.

14:00 - 14:20

Implementing Private Markets in DC – From Convistion to Execution

Presentation | Auditorium

This session will outline the practical steps for implementing private markets in DC schemes, from building trustee conviction and sourcing scalable opportunities to ensuring robust governance and member-appropriate design, enabling responsible access to long-term growth aligned with the Mansion House agenda.

Implementing Private Markets in DC – From Convistion to Execution

Presentation

Session Description

This session will consider what it really takes to build and run a private markets programme within a DC scheme.
Rather than focusing on theory, our speaker will walk through the four critical steps to successful implementation: building trustee conviction through clear risk, liquidity and valuation frameworks; identifying the right managers with proven sourcing, discipline and DC‑ready structures; securing a reliable pipeline of investable opportunities at the scale required; and ensuring smooth implementation through operational readiness, governance and member‑appropriate design.
Set against the backdrop of the Mansion House agenda and the push toward productive finance, the session will show how DC schemes can access innovation, infrastructure and long‑term value creation while putting in place the safeguards needed to use private markets responsibly in a default strategy.

Speakers in this Session

Massi Delle Donne

Head of Institutional Client Solutions, EMEA

BlackRock

Massi Delle Donne is a Managing Director in the Europe & Africa Institutional Client Business at BlackRock, focusing on developing retirement propositions and solutions.
Massi has over 25 years’ experience across financial services with responsibilities spanning Europe, Asia & Africa. His experience includes 13 years in capital markets, developing derivative based solutions for institutional clients, such as guaranteed funds, risk hedging strategies and structured products.
Massi began his career as an actuarial specialist in South Africa, focused on pension funds and product development and has founded two UK based fintechs.

14:20 - 14:40

Bridging into Retirement

Presentation | Auditorium

This session will highlight the impact of sequencing risk on retirement outcomes and outline practical strategies to balance growth and protection, helping members navigate drawdown and market volatility with greater confidence.

Bridging into Retirement

Presentation

Session Description

Sequencing risk is one of the most critical yet often overlooked challenges in retirement planning.
As individuals transition from accumulation to decumulation, the timing of investment returns can make or break their financial future. Poor returns at the wrong moment can significantly impact the longevity of a pension pot, affecting a retiree’s ability to sustain their desired lifestyle.
Our speaker will explore practical strategies for managing sequencing risk, ensuring pension savings are protected during the crucial years before and after retirement.
By making this complex issue easier to understand, providers can help members set smarter drawdown plans and navigate volatility with greater confidence. Balancing both growth and security is the name of the game.

Speakers in this Session

Massi Delle Donne

Head of Institutional Client Solutions, EMEA

BlackRock

Massi Delle Donne is a Managing Director in the Europe & Africa Institutional Client Business at BlackRock, focusing on developing retirement propositions and solutions.
Massi has over 25 years’ experience across financial services with responsibilities spanning Europe, Asia & Africa. His experience includes 13 years in capital markets, developing derivative based solutions for institutional clients, such as guaranteed funds, risk hedging strategies and structured products.
Massi began his career as an actuarial specialist in South Africa, focused on pension funds and product development and has founded two UK based fintechs.

14:40 - 15:30

Guided Retirement and the Future of Retirement Income

Panel Discussion | Auditorium

This panel will examine how guided retirement under the Pension Schemes Act 2026 is reshaping decumulation, comparing income models and trade-offs to define effective default pathways while addressing the communication challenges of supporting member decisions.

Guided Retirement and the Future of Retirement Income

Panel Discussion

Session Description

The panel will explore how the Pension Schemes Act 2026 embeds guided retirement as a core expectation for UK pension schemes, before turning to what an effective default retirement income model should look like in practice.
By comparing approaches such as Retirement CDC, Flex & Fix, collective drawdown, shared‑indexation CDC and deferred annuities, the discussion will highlight the essential trade‑offs between income stability, flexibility, investment risk and longevity risk, and how these choices shape credible guided‑retirement pathways.
The panel will also consider the communication and engagement challenges of helping members understand these different models and supporting them through a more structured, provider‑led decumulation journey.

Speakers in this Session

Kavi Myladoor

Commercial & Propositions Director

Just Group

Kavi Myladoor is Just Group’s Retail Retirement Income Director, overseeing its Individually Underwritten Annuity and Secure Lifetime Income propositions.

She joined Just Group in April 2023 from Royal London, where she successfully established a later life strategy and ran its D2C and intermediated later life propositions.

With a background in risk management, proposition strategy and change delivery, Kavi’s focus is to create and change strategy on Just’s growth ambitions, whilst ensuring that its customers get value from money on existing propositions. She is passionate about her purpose, which is to identify innovative ways to make later life propositions and financial advice more accessible to consumers in the UK.

Paul Tinslay

Trustee Director

Dalriada Trustees

Paul Tinslay is an Accredited Professional Trustee for DB and DC Pension Schemes, including Chair for Sole Trustee positions, and EGLAS arrangements. With 38 years in the Life and Pensions Industry, Paul has the very rare, if not unique experience of having been a personal financial adviser, as a market leader in the at/post retirement market, a corporate pensions adviser for DB and DC pension schemes.

Prior to joining Dalriada in 2020, Paul worked at one of the largest Employee Benefit Consultancies, responsible for delivering advice and services to Employers and Trustees, in respect of Occupational Pensions (Defined Benefit, trust & contract based Defined Contribution), where he was also Head of the Pensions Governance Proposition.

Paul has been a Director of specialist pensions businesses, establishing market leading propositions. Paul worked with the Government Actuary’s Department to develop Income Drawdown in the Pensions Act 1995 and the Department for Work and Pensions in transposing the IORP II legislation to what we now know as ESoG and ORA.

In his spare time Paul does everything that Mrs Tinslay wants done, Mountain biking, gym and the odd game of golf.

About Just Group

We’re one of the UK’s leading providers of specialist financial services solutions, completely focused on meeting the needs of people thinking about, approaching, or in retirement.

We have a strong social purpose – a beacon within financial services. We provide products and services that help our customers achieve a better later life and believe that financial intermediaries are best placed to help people with the choices they need to make to achieve this.

There’s more choice than ever for clients who are approaching retirement or already retired. We recognise that as a financial intermediary, you are the architect of your clients’ retirement plans. As the expert, you’re able to consider alternatives and recommend a product mix that provides secure and flexible income to last a lifetime. As a retirement specialist provider, we’ll support you with dependable, first-class service.

For more details, please visit Just Group’s website here.

Contact

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15:30 - 15:50

Exploring Retirement Solutions - Lessons from the US Experience

Presentation | Auditorium

This presentation will draw lessons from the more mature US DC pensions system, focusing on what has and hasn’t worked in retirement solutions and income drawdown strategies to help UK providers improve outcomes in an evolving landscape.

Exploring Retirement Solutions - Lessons from the US Experience

Presentation

Session Description

This insightful presentation will explore the lessons the UK can take from the significantly more developed DC pensions system in the US.   With a longer track record to study, the US experience offers valuable insights into what has worked – and what hasn’t – for DC plan providers.
Our speaker will suggest key takeaways from their approach, with a particular focus on retirement solutions and the strategies employed to convert pension pots into sustainable retirement income.
By learning from the successes and challenges faced across the Atlantic, UK providers can better navigate the evolving DC pensions landscape and develop more effective solutions for the future.

Speakers in this Session

15:50 - 16:10

Networking Break

Networking Activity | Foyer

16:10 - 16:50

Retiring into a World Worth Living In

Roundtable Discussions | Auditorium

This interactive roundtable session will explore how UK pension schemes can balance long-term financial returns with climate, nature and societal risks, debating their role in shaping a sustainable retirement future and where responsibility ultimately lies across trustees, providers, employers and government.
Table discussions are led by Moderators and key conclusions shared with the wider conference.

Retiring into a World Worth Living In

Roundtable discussions

Session Description

After a brief scene‑setting introduction from the Facilitator, outlining the long‑term nature of pension investing and the climate, nature and societal risks that could shape members’ future living standards, a Moderator at each table will guide a focused discussion. Delegates will consider how pension schemes may invest in ways that help secure a world worth retiring into, not just maximising financial returns.
The debate will explore the implications for trustees, providers, members, employers and government, and with whom the responsibility to secure optimum retirement conditions properly lies.
Several of the Moderators will be invited to share their table’s conclusions with the full conference.

Speakers in this Session

Facilitator:
Stephen Budge
Head of DC Investment Strategy
LCP

Helen Ball
Partner
Sackers

Rachel Brougham
Trustee Executive
BESTrustees

Andy Cox
Chair
NatWest DC Plan

Wendy Davis
Director of Pensions
Sainsbury's

Sandie Deane
Trustee Director
UBS Pension Trustee Company

Mark Hedges
Trustee Director
Nationwide Pension Fund

Martyn James
Director of Investment
NOW: Pensions

Ian MacRae
Finance Pensions Investment Manager
Jaguar Land Rover

Stewart Patterson
Innovation Senior Director - LifeSight GB
WTW

This session is sponsored by LCP

Helen Ball

Partner

Sackers

Helen has worked in pensions for many years, providing legal advice to trustees, employers, Independent Governance Committees and providers.
She enjoys working in a team alongside other advisers to get the best results for clients, and has a history of involvement with various initiatives that impact on new legislation and regulation. Helen is currently Chair of PASA’s working group that is focused on CDC and a founding member of the DC Governance Group which established the PLSA’s template chair’s statement for DC schemes.
Helen regularly speaks at conferences organised by bodies such as the PMI and SPP and writes articles and blogs for pensions publications.

Rachel Brougham

Trustee Executive

BESTrustees

Rachel Brougham has worked in the pensions industry for more than 30 years. She joined BESTrustees in 2014 and currently works with a number of clients, covering both defined benefit and defined contribution schemes.
Since joining BESTrustees, Rachel’s appointments have included two master trust boards and two Independent Governance Committees of major UK pension providers, and the chairmanship of a number of defined benefit schemes. Her experience includes the development of the trustee boards, their structures and processes, including committees and appropriate reporting, and the development of robust risk management frameworks.
Rachel is used to working with and managing a number of advisers on any one scheme, expecting a collaborative and respectful working relationship between them. She is also used to working with in-house teams, ensuring that the trustee board receives the support it needs in carrying out its duties. Working with the schemes’ advisers, she has implemented TPR’s integrated risk management (IRM) approach to funding, investment and covenant work in her DB schemes to good effect, and is used to working with an overseas parent.
Rachel spent most of her career at Mercer providing actuarial, benefit, governance and DC consulting advice to clients. She remains an Associate Member of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.

Andy Cox

Chair

NatWest DC Plan

Andy enjoys a portfolio career as a trustee and Non-Executive Director.
In the world of pensions, he is Chair of Trustees of the NatWest DC Plan, a NED at Capital Cranfield, and a member of the Investment and Funding Committee of the Lloyds Banking Group DB Pension Schemes.
Until 2019, Andy spent 30 years at Aon as an actuarial and investment consultant, and was a member of the Global Retirement & Investment Leadership and CEO of Aon Hewitt Ltd in the UK. He also sat on Aon’s Global Operating Committee.
In his spare time, Andy enjoys skiing and scrambling with his family, and has recently passed his private pilots license. He is also looking forward to more success supporting Wales on the rugby pitch.

Wendy Davis

Former Director of Pensions

Sainsbury's

Until recently, Wendy was Director of Pensions for Sainsbury’s and worked there since 2010.

While there, she was responsible for a large defined benefit pension scheme with around 83,000 members and assets of £8bn, working for the Trustee and the Company, and three defined contribution schemes. The DC schemes have over 170,000 members and assets of over £1.75bn.

Wendy is also Deputy Chair of the Board of Trustees of Age UK Bedfordshire, and is on the Risk and Audit Committee of the Church of England Pensions Board, and has decided to build on her non-exec portfolio. She is also on the Advisory Board of the PMI and a member of other industry groups.

Sandie Deane

Trustee Director

UBS Pension Scheme

Sandie is a trustee director of UBS’s UK Pension Scheme. She chairs the Member Communication & Engagement Committee and is a member of the Risk & Audit Committee.

Sandie’s journey in the world of pensions began when she joined Phillips & Drew Fund Management – now UBS Asset Management – in 1993 to work on their client publications including Pension Fund Indicators. She remained in UBS Asset Management until 2015 in a range of marketing, investment communication and management office roles. She then transferred to UBS Wealth Management in a business management and chief of staff role in the Investment Products & Solutions team.

She joined the UBS Pension Board in 2016 and has continued in that role since leaving UBS’s employment in 2020.

Today, she oversees all scheme member communications and is a familiar face at member engagement events. Sandie is also a trustee of the UBS UK Donor-Advised Foundation.

Mark Hedges

Trustee Director

Nationwide Pension Fund

Mark is a Trustee and former Chief Investment Officer of the Nationwide Pension Fund, where he had responsibility for the performance and implementation of the asset allocation strategies agreed with the fund investment advisors.

Previously, he led the establishment of Nationwide’s Covered Bond programme and its Silverstone RMBS Master Trust funding vehicle. In addition, Mark has securitised UK Student Loans and a synthetic corporate bond structure along with structured transaction and investment in various ABS instruments. Past experience also includes leading the origination and structuring of social housing, PFI and commercial real estate debt transactions.

Martyn James

Director of Investment

NOW: Pensions

Martyn James is the Director of Investment at NOW: Pensions, the UK master trust provider.

Martyn is responsible for leading the investment strategy for the business, with a focus on improving returns and retirement outcomes for its members, and enhancing the sustainability characteristics of the portfolio.

Martyn joined NOW: Pensions in April 2024. Prior to joining NOW: Pensions, he spent 22 years at Mercer, most recently as a partner within Mercer’s UK DC business, but also with a recent two and a half year secondment, leading Mercer’s Wealth (Pensions and Investments) business in Latin America.

Stewart Patterson

Innovation Senior Director - LifeSight GB

Willis Towers Watson (WTW)

Stew is an experienced pensions professional, responsible for leading the discovery of some of the most significant areas of innovation and future developments for LifeSight, WTW’s DC master trust. LifeSight’s ambitious target is securing better pension outcomes for people all over the country, and a lot of Stew’s focus is currently around decumulation solutions, support for members making retirement decisions and overall member engagement.

Stew is a qualified actuary. His previous roles have included positions as a DB Scheme Actuary and a DB de-risking specialist, leading onto leadership roles in WTW’s member options consulting team as well as industry roles on the Incentive Exercise Monitoring Board for the IFoA. This member focus saw Stew move into the LifeSight master trust team as Head of Product, before his current innovation role.

Janette Weir

Managing Director

Ignition House

Janette is one of the founding directors of Ignition House. She has more than twenty years research experience and brings a broad range of research and consultancy skills and experience from her previous roles. Janette is responsible for new business development and is Head of the Financial Services and Public Sector Practices.

She started her career as an economist at the Department of Work and Pensions, where she spent five years advising ministers and policy makers. This gave her a solid grounding in research skills and an understanding of the public sector.

She moved to be Chief Economist at the Association of British Insurers to build detailed knowledge of the insurance sector. From there, she led a team of thirty analysts covering all aspects of Financial Services as Head of UK Financial Services Research at McKinsey and Company. She was part of a pan-European team, which gave an international flavour to her research skill set. She also worked in a small team for a year to develop and implement McKinsey’s knowledge management strategy.

As Director of the Financial and Public Sector Practice at IQ Research, she built a solid practice of bespoke and syndicated work for financial services companies, economics consultancies, regulators, and trade associations. Janette is a well-known industry expert on the life and pensions sector, and often writes articles for the trade press.

About LCP

Powered by bright and passionate people, we help clients navigate complexity to make the decisions that matter. With market-leading capabilities across pensions and financial services, energy, health and analytics, we create and uncover new possibilities to help shape a more positive future.

The way we work, save, and live, is changing. Through our expert insights and use of cutting-edge technology, we provide tailored advice to create a sustainable financial future for our clients and members. We bring a breadth of knowledge and specialist skills to power our clients’ possibilities by helping them to solve problems and embrace opportunities.

We understand that pension schemes aren’t just about numbers; they are about planning for a secure future. Whether you’re a trustee of a pension scheme, a CFO, a finance director or an HR professional, we tailor our services to meet your unique needs with a straightforward, strategic approach. To guide you towards your endgame is at the heart of our advice and where you are on your journey to achieve that. This means we can craft clear, forward-thinking strategies to help your pension scheme reach its long-term goals. This ensures not just sustainability but success well into the future.

We’re not just a team; we’re a community of experts. From DC and Corporate Consulting to Actuarial insights and Trustee Consulting, we cover all bases. We’re all about joined-up thinking, ensuring that every decision about a pension scheme is interconnected and geared towards achieving the best outcomes for members.

For more details, please visit LCP’s website here.

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16:50 - 17:15

From Vision to Reality – The Future of DC Delivery

Presentation | AUDITORIUM

This closing keynote will bring together the day’s key themes to examine the practical governance, operational and regulatory challenges that must be overcome to turn DC pension innovation into a scalable, member-focused system that delivers better retirement outcomes in practice.

Closing Keynote: From Vision to Reality – The Future of DC Delivery

Presentation

Session Description

As the Summit draws to a close, this keynote confronts the most important question of all: how do we turn today’s bold ideas into a DC system that genuinely works for members?
After a day exploring private markets, productive finance, active equieis, guided retirement, CDC, Flex & Fix, the implications of the Pension Schemes Act, and the Value for Money regime, our speaker will cut through the complexity to examine the real-world conditions for success: the operational realities, governance demands, regulatory constraints, cost pressures and infrastructure challenges that determine whether innovation scales or stalls.
This closing session will offer a clear, grounded and forward-looking view of what it will take to deliver a DC system that is not only ambitious in design but executable in practice.

Speakers in this Session

Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles

Former British Ambassador

UK Foreign Office

Sherard worked at HSBC as a full-time employee from 2013 to 2023, initially as Senior Adviser to the Group Chairman and Group Chief Executive, and for eight years heading the Group’s Global Government and Public Affairs functions. On his retirement, on 31 December 2023, he was engaged as Senior Adviser to the Group.
Earlier, he spent over 30 years in the British Diplomatic Service, which he joined straight from reading Classics at Oxford. He finished his career as Ambassador to Israel, Saudi Arabia and then Afghanistan.
Sherard is Chair of the China-Britain Business Council; Honorary Vice President of the UK Financial Inclusion Commission; and a Committee Member of The Hong Kong Association. He is an Ambassador for the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. He is a member of the fundraising committee for Maggie’s charity, and a Trustee of Arundells, the Sir Edward Heath Charitable Foundation. He is President of The Kilvert Society.
Sherard is the author of two books: Cables from Kabul and Ever the Diplomat.

17:15 - 17:25

Devil’s Advocates Summary

The Devil’s Advocates will give their summary of the main debating points, conclusions and action points from the afternoon session.

17:25 - 17:30

Chair's Summary

Closing Remarks | AUDITORIUM

The Chair will conclude the day’s proceedings and reflect on the various opinions discussed throughout the day.

17:30 - 19:15

Drinks Reception

Networking Activity | Foyer

Following conclusion of the conference, delegates are invited to stay for drinks and network with fellow members of the industry.

Sponsors

Click on images for more information

Venue

Grand Connaught Rooms

This event will be held at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London.
Plan your journey via Transport for London.

Travel & Access

Tube: Covent Garden (Piccadilly) & Holborn (Central) - 5 mins walk
Nat Rail: King's Cross St Pancras & Euston (30 mins)