The Private Markets Pensions Investment Forum

Winter Conference – Ironmongers’ Hall, London

Tuesday 28th January 2025

09:15 – 19:30 GMT

Agenda
Morning
Afternoon

09:45 – Welcome & Introduction

Chair: Mark Thompson
Programme Director: Stephen Glover

10:00 – How Can the Government Support Pension Investment in Private Markets?

Moderator: Mark Thompson
Presenter: Roland Phillips
Panellists:
Sally Bridgeland,
Ian Connatty, Douglas Hansen-Luke
Session Type: Presentation / Panel Discussion
Sponsored by: Future Planet Capital

11:00 – The Private Markets Landscape in the UK

Presenter: Oliver Bell
Session Type: Presentation

11:20 – Coffee Break

11:50 – Investing in Nature...

Presenter: Robert Gardner
Session Type: Presentation
Sponsored by: Rebalance Earth

12:15 – The Investment Realities for Pension Funds

Moderator: Charlotte Moore
Panellists: Stephen Budge, Chris Hitchen, Veronica Humble, Ruston Smith
Session Type: Panel Discussion
Sponsored by: LCP

13:00 – Devil's Advocates Summary

Devils: Kerry King, Neil Mason, Mark Tennant
Session Type: Morning Summary

13:10 – Lunch

14:10 – Optimal Implementation - Finding the Right Fund Structures

Speaker: Jignasa Patel
Session Type: Presentation
Sponsored by: Carne Group

14:30 – Private Credit... but Not As You Know It

Speaker: Duncan Sankey
Session Type: Presentation
Sponsored by: Cheyne Capital

14:55 – The Critical Decision Factors in Private Market Investing

Facilitator: Paddy Dowdall
Moderators: Scott Anderson, Rachel Brougham, Andy Cox, Hill Gaston, Mark Hedges, Ian McKinlay, Stephanie Nuttall, Hugh Smart
Session Type: Roundtable Discussion

15:40 – Coffee & Networking Break

16:00 – Beyond Pooling: How LGPS Funds Are Driving Direct VC Investment

Speakers: Scott Anderson, Craig Douglas
Session Type: Presentation
Sponsored by: World Fund

16:30 – Local Investment Opportunities in Private Markets

Speaker: James Livingston
Session Type: Presentation
Sponsored by: Foresight Group

16:55 – Devil's Advocates Summary

Speakers: Mark Thompson (Mod), Jamie Broderick, Denise Le Gal, Luke Webster
Session Type: Afternoon Summary

17:05 – Chair's Closing Remarks

Speaker: Mark Thompson

17:15 – Drinks Reception

Speakers

Chair

Mark Thompson, Chair of the Trustee Board M&G Pension Scheme

Mark Thompson

Chair of the Trustee Board
M&G Pension Scheme

Devil's Advocates

Jamie Broderick, Board Director, Impact Investing Institute

Jamie
Broderick

Board Member
Impact Investing Institute

Kerry King, Executive Director of Capital Markets, Accounting for Sustainability

Kerry
King

Executive Director of Capital Markets
Accounting for Sustainability

Denise Le Gal, Chair, Brightwell

Denise
Le Gal

Chair
Brightwell

Neil Mason, LGPS Senior Officer, Surrey Pension Fund

Neil
Mason

LGPS Senior Officer
Surrey Pension Fund

Mark Tennant, Trustee, Country Landowners Pension Fund

Mark
Tennant

Trustee
Country Landowners Pension Fund

Luke Webster, , Chief Investment Officer, Greater London Authority

Luke
Webster

Chief Investment Officer
Greater London Authority

Roundtable Facilitator

Paddy Dowdall, Assistant Executive Director, Greater Manchester Pension Fund

Paddy
Dowdall

Assistant Executive Director
Greater Manchester Pension Fund

Presenters

Scott Anderson, Investment Manager, Environment Agency Pension Fund

Scott
Anderson

Investment Manager
EAPF

Oliver Bell, Doctoral Candidate, Leeds University Business School

Oliver
Bell

Doctoral Candidate
Leeds University Business School

Craig Douglas, Partner, World Fund

Craig
Douglas

Partner
World Fund

Rob Gardner, Co-CEO & Co-Founder of Rebalance Earth

Robert
Gardner

CEO & Co-Founder
Rebalance Earth

Jignasa Patel, Managing Director - Business Development, Carne Group

Jignasa
Patel

Managing Director Business Dev
Carne Group

Duncan Sankey, Head of Credit Research at Cheyne Capital

Duncan
Sankey

Head of Credit Research
Cheyne Capital

Panel Moderator

Charlotte
Moore

Freelance Journalist
Independent

PANELLISTS

Sally Bridgeland, Chair Brunel Pension Partnership

Sally
Bridgeland

Chair
Brunel Pension Partnership

Ian Connatty, Managing Partner, British Growth Partnership

Ian
Connatty

Managing Partner
British Growth Partnership

Douglas Hansen-Luke, Executive Chairman, Future Planet Capital

Douglas
Hansen-Luke

Executive Chairman
Future Planet Capital

Chris Hitchen, Chairman, Border to Coast Partnership

Chris
Hitchen

Chairman
Border to Coast Partnership

Veronica Humble, Chief Investment Officer, NatWest Cushon

Veronica
Humble

CIO
Cushon NatWest

Ruston Smith, Chairman, Tesco Pension Fund

Ruston
Smith

Chairman
Tesco Pension Fund

ROUNDTABLE MODERATORS

Rachel Brougham, Trustee Executive, BESTrustees

Rachel
Brougham

Trustee Executive
BESTrustees

Andy Cox, Chair NatWest DC Plan

Andy
Cox

Chair
NatWest DC Plan

Hill Gaston, Principal, Mercer

Hill
Gaston

Principal
Mercer

Mark Hedges, Trustee Director, Nationwide Pension Fund

Mark
Hedges

Trustee Director
Nationwide Pension Fund

Ian McKinlay, Senior Adviser, Avida International

Ian
McKinlay

Senior Adviser
Avida International

Stephanie Nuttall, Head of Pension Scheme Executive, M&G plc

Stephanie
Nuttall

Head of Pension Scheme Executive
M&G plc

Sponsors
Click on images for more information
EVENT INFO

Private market allocations are growing at many pension funds, especially within the LGPS and increasingly at larger DC schemes and Master Trusts, based upon the belief that these investments will deliver both attractive long-term performance as well as diversification benefits and positive societal impact.

In addition, the UK Government has embarked on an ambitious programme to encourage the pensions industry to invest further still in private assets, especially through the creation of the British Growth Partnership administered by the British Business Bank, as well as calls for consolidation among both LGPS and DC plans as announced at the Mansion House.

While opportunities abound, key to a step change in these investments will be to ensure that fiduciary and due diligence obligations are satisfied, and that vehicles can be developed that overcome scale, size and track record requirements, especially in earlier stage venture capital projects. 

The conference will gather many of the major investors and asset allocators across the UK pensions industry, together with government-backed organisations, private investment managers and other leading stakeholders. A comprehensive picture of the state of pensions investment in private markets will be presented, followed by extensive debates on the contribution that these assets will play in the future success of the industry and for the economy at large.

In common with all SGPE Masterclasses, the conference will be highly interactive, with free and frank exchanges of views, a focus on original and thought-provoking content, and with participants encouraged to engage and contribute proactively throughout.

Venue

The Private Markets Pensions Investment Forum will be held at Ironmongers’ Hall in London. 

Venue Address: Shaftesbury Place, off Aldersgate Street, Barbican, London EC2Y 8AA

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Mark Thompson, Chair of the Trustee Board M&G Pension Scheme

Mark Thompson

Chair of the Trustee Board
M&G Pension Scheme

In addition to his role at M&G, Mark is a Member of the Independent Governance Committee at Zurich Insurance; Executive Chairman of the UBS (UK) Pension & Life Assurance Scheme Investment Committee; and a Member of the Investment & Funding and DC Committees at Lloyds Banking Group Pensions. He was previously the Chief Investment Officer of HSBC Bank Pension Trust (UK) Limited, who he joined in 2011.

Prior to this, he held a number of senior investment roles at Prudential/M&G. These included UK Equity Fund Manager, Head of Equity Research, Director of Collective Investments, and Investment & Strategy Director for Prudential Europe. 

Jamie Broderick, Board Director, Impact Investing Institute

Jamie Broderick

Board Member
Impact Investing InstitutE

Jamie Broderick is a Board member at the Impact Investing Institute, an independent, non-profit UK organisation that aims to accelerate the growth and improve the effectiveness of the impact investing market.  The Institute is supported by the UK’s Government Inclusive Economy Unit, the City of London Corporation, and a number of financial services organisations in the UK.

Jamie was head of UBS Wealth Management in the UK from 2013-2017. Jamie joined UBS after nineteen years at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, latterly as Chief Executive of its European operations. He joined J.P. Morgan in New York in 1993 and moved to London in 1996. He started his financial services career at Wellington Management Company, an independent asset management partnership in Boston.

He studied Arabic Linguistics and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard College and continued those studies in a Ph.D. program at the University of Chicago.

Kerry King, Executive Director of Capital Markets, Accounting for Sustainability

Kerry King

Executive Director OF Capital Markets
Accounting for Sustainability

Kerry is the Executive Director of Capital Markets at Accounting for Sustainability (A4S), where she is responsible for leading their Capital Markets programme to accelerate awareness and action towards a global sustainable financial system.  

This includes running the A4S Asset Owners Network for pension fund chairs, supporting their commitments to embed sustainability into their strategic and investment decisions; convening senior finance to address specific challenges faced by the financial sector; and leading on guidance to scale up adoption of sustainable action by pension scheme trustees and finance within the banking and insurance sectors.

Having worked on numerous sustainability initiatives of His Majesty King Charles III, Kerry first joined A4S in 2006 and returned in 2017, to drive support for and adoption across a global CFO community on the recommendations of the Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). 

Denise Le Gal

Chair
Brunel Pension Partnership

Denise’s role as Chair of Brunel Pension Partnership goes back to its foundation, and to the guiding vision she helped to formulate: Forging better futures by investing for a world worth living in.

Denise was formerly Chair of the LGA’s Local Government Pension Committee (LGPC) and served as Board Member on the LGPS Scheme Advisory Board (SAB) from inception to May 2019. She has also served as Co- Chair of the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (LAPFF).
In another capacity, Denise is Chair of Brightwell and the JPM Chase UK Retirement Plan.

Denise grew up on a farm in Canada and has a BA from Carleton University. She left Canada in 1985 to complete an MBA at INSEAD and subsequently pursued a career in banking at Salomon Brothers, Chase Manhattan and IBJ.

Neil Mason, LGPS Senior Officer, Surrey Pension Fund

Neil Mason

LGPS Senior Officer
Surrey Pension TEAM

Neil leads the £6bn+ Surrey Pension Fund, with near 130,000 members and over 500 employers. Surrey is one of the 11 LGPS partner funds that make up the Border to Coast asset pool. 

Neil believes excellence in service delivery is best achieved through an integrated pension service with equal emphasis on all elements of the business, and a laser focus on the customer. 

The Surrey Fund has received pension industry acknowledgement for its outstanding approach to risk management, governance, responsible investing and most recently, administration.

Neil is a member of the PLSA Policy Board, and its Local Authority Committee. He is also the Independent Chair of the Local Pension Board for the London Borough of Hounslow, and an Independent Advisor to the Local Pension Board of the South Yorkshire Pension Authority. 

He is the father of twin boys who are both off doing far more interesting things than he ever did at university. In his spare time, he supports Queens Park Rangers and three putts.

Mark Tennant, Trustee, Country Landowners Pension Fund

Mark Tennant

Trustee
Country Landowners Pension Fund

Mark Tennant is a Trustee of the Country Landowners Pension Fund, a Trustee of the Royal Hospital Chelsea and a Non-Executive Director of the Unit Trust of India International. He also leads a charity devoted to stopping young offenders from reoffending. 

He was until recently the Chairman of Centrica Pension Funds, and Chairman of Scottish Land and Estates, after spending 28 years with J.P. Morgan Chase as a Senior Adviser, and CFO of the Global Custody Division. 

Prior to that, Mark was at Hill Samuel, Fidelity and Hambros Bank, and served as the Conservative Party candidate against Gordon Brown in 1992 and against Winnie Ewing for the European seat of the Highland and Islands in 1994. 

In the late 80’s, Mark served as the Treasurer for the Conservative Party for Scotland, and the Treasurer for the Better Together Campaign under Alistair Darling in 2014. He also served seven years in the Scots Guards, spent a year nursing in India, and is an Officer of the Queen’s Bodyguard in Scotland. 

Away from work, his main interests are history, travel and Scottish music, particularly the Highland Bagpipe, which he plays. 

Luke Webster, , Chief Investment Officer, Greater London Authority

Luke Webster

Chief Investment Officer
Greater London Authority

Luke is the outgoing Chief Investment Officer of the Greater London Authority, and CEO of London Treasury, the GLA’s regulated asset management subsidiary.

His work in local impact investment including VC, housing and infrastructure together with allocating assets for London Treasury’s £4bn collective investment vehicle bring him into frequent contact with pension fund investors and their asset managers. 

He is a former Chief Finance & Risk Officer of the London Pensions Fund Authority, and has worked extensively in  private equity, most recently as a NED in businesses seeking to consolidate DB pensions. 

In February, he becomes the Bursar of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and will be moving to a non-executive role at London Treasury.

Paddy Dowdall, Assistant Executive Director, Greater Manchester Pension Fund

Paddy Dowdall

Assistant Executive Director
Greater Manchester Pension Fund

Paddy is Assistant Executive Director at Greater Manchester Pension Fund with responsibility for Property, Local Investments and GLIL sitting on the Investment Committee.

The GLIL partnership is the first of its type in the LGPS and has an initial mandate to invest £1275m into direct infrastructure in the UK. The partners are looking to encourage collaboration within the LGPS on investment in infrastructure and believe that scale and appropriate governance structures can enhance returns.

Northern Pool has led the way in the LGPS investing in housing and property development in its local area with the twin aims of achieving commercial returns for the Fund whilst having a positive impact on the local economy.

Paddy has significant experience of investment in a wide range of assets including listed securities, infrastructure, private equity, and property and has previously worked at Merseyside Pension Fund.

Paddy is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and a graduate of Durham University.

Scott Anderson, Investment Manager, Environment Agency Pension Fund

Scott Anderson

Investment Manager
Environment Agency Pension Fund

Scott Anderson joined the Environment Agency Pension Fund (EAPF) in 2024 as Investment Manager.

In his role, Scott has particular emphasis on private market investments, but also holds responsibilities across public market portfolios. The EAPF has a target of achieving Net Zero across the portfolio by 2045, and, especially within private markets side, seeks to make environmentally and socially impactful investments.

Before joining the EAPF, Scott worked in healthcare/life sciences private equity for Ampersand Capital Partners, a specialist mid-market growth equity firm focused on investments in North America and Europe. Scott was part of the European investment team based in Amsterdam, where he had a distinct focus on investing in innovative, outsourced service providers (CDMOs and CROs) serving cutting edge biotherapeutics (cell and gene therapy, oncolytic virus, and viral vector vaccines).

Prior to Ampersand, Scott worked in the healthcare industry for GSK and Adaptimmune Therapeutics.

Scott holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Aberdeen.

Rob Gardner, Co-CEO & Co-Founder of Rebalance Earth

Robert Gardner

CEO & Co-Founder
Rebalance Earth

Robert Gardner is a money expert, entrepreneur and financial activist on a mission to make money a force for good for people and the planet to create ‘financial wellbeing in a world worth living in’. 

In 2012, Rob co-founded RedSTART, a financial education charity which aims to plant the seeds for the financial freedom of younger people. He has also written a book, delivered a Tedx talk and appeared on BBC, Sky News and in newspapers discussing views around financial education for young people. 

In 2006, Rob shook up the UK pensions industry with the launch of Redington, now a leading investment consultancy whose mission is to create financial wellbeing for 100 million people in a way that protects the planet’s future. 

Having studied at the University of Oxford, Rob’s love of glaciers and passion for the planet’s prosperity have influenced his role in financial services. Responsible investment and using his position and expertise to drive better businesses for the earth and its people was a crucial part of his previous role as St. James’s Place’s (SJP) Director of Investments. In addition, Rob is a member of the World Economic Forum and sits on their retirement council.  

Rob is now the CEO & Co-Founder of Rebalance Earth, whose goal is to make money a force for good to help reverse climate change and biodiversity loss, by creating high-integrity biodiversity credits that puts a monetary value on nature, based on its ability to absorb carbon, protect and grow biodiversity and support local communities that preserve it. 

Jignasa Patel, Managing Director - Business Development, Carne Group

Jignasa Patel

Managing Director - Business Development
Carne Group

Having spent over 20 years’ working with institutional asset owners and managers, Jignasa is currently part of Carne’s business development team, focusing on structuring investment solutions across a range of institutional clients. This includes working with clients on the AMX platform and in developing Long Term Asset Fund (LTAF) solutions at Carne. 

Having started her career at Mercer Investment Consulting, Jignasa specialised in manager research and working with institutional clients to advise on broader manager portfolios. During her subsequent role at Willis Towers Watson, Jignasa worked with both delegated and advisory clients, leading on both manager selection and portfolio construction, in both their Sydney and London offices.  

Jignasa is a member of the Board of Directors of Carne’s UK regulated management company, and is a CFA charterholder. 

Duncan Sankey, Head of Credit Research at Cheyne Capital

Duncan Sankey

Head of Credit Research
Cheyne Capital

Duncan Sankey is Head of Credit Research at Cheyne Capital, having joined Cheyne as a senior analyst in 2003. Duncan has overall responsibility for Cheyne’s credit research efforts, and sits on Cheyne’s ESG Forum and its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. He regularly presents Cheyne’s view on industry issues in thought-leadership articles for financial publications. 

Duncan has 37 years of experience in credit, including running sell-side research at Nomura and Greenwich NatWest, prior to which he was a senior analyst for Moody’s Investors’ Service in London and New York; he began his career with Morgan Guaranty.  

Duncan graduated from St. Edmund Hall, Oxford, where he was awarded an MA in Medieval and Modern Languages. Duncan also has an MSc in Corporate Governance and Ethics from Birkbeck, University of London, where, having subsequently become a governor, he now chairs the Investment Committee and is a member of the Audit and Digital Committees. 

Duncan was a member of the London Centre for Corporate Governance and Ethics and formerly sat on the Education and Examinations Committee of CFA UK.  He co-authored “Opening Credit: A Practitioner’s Guide to Credit Investment.” 

Sally Bridgeland, Chair Brunel Pension Partnership

Sally Bridgeland

Chair - Investment board
Local Pensions Partnership

Sally is an actuary with extensive experience in innovation, risk management and responsible investment across investment management and pensions. She was CEO of the BP Pension Scheme in 2007-14 after twenty years with Aon Hewitt working as a consultant and in investment research.

Her non-executive portfolio has included roles as trustee and investment committee chair at the Nuclear Liabilities Fund, NEST Corporation and the Lloyds Bank pension schemes. Sally’s non-executive portfolio currently includes Chair at Impax Asset Management Group plc, non-executive director at insurers Royal London, Pension Insurance Corporation and Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance, and at Local Pensions Partnership (LPP) Limited, where she chairs its regulated investment company.  

Sally is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries and has served the actuarial profession on its Council and professional committees. In the City of London, Sally is a Liveryman with both the Wheelwrights’ and the Actuaries’ Companies, having held office as the first lady Master of the Worshipful Company of Actuaries in 2016-17.

Sally’s passion for maths education is evident in her work as a member of the Royal Society’s Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education (ACME) and as Chair of the Strategic Advisory Board for the Centre for Mathematical Cognition at Loughborough University. Sally is an Honorary Group Captain in 601 Squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, introducing diverse ideas to the way that the Senior Leadership Team of the RAF think and work. 

Ian Connatty, Managing Partner, British Growth Partnership

Ian Connatty

Managing Partner
British Growth Partnership

Ian is the Deputy Chief Investment Officer of the British Business Bank (BBB), a government-owned economic development bank. Set up in 2014 following the economic crisis, its core mission is to drive sustainable growth and prosperity across the UK, and to enable the transition to a net zero economy, by improving access to finance for smaller businesses. 

Prior to this, Ian was the first team member of BBB’s commercial subsidiary, British Patent Capital, where he oversaw fund investments before becoming responsible for its Direct and Co-Investment activity.

Ian started his career in accountancy, subsequently moving into financial modelling at the Royal Bank of Scotland. He then joined a start-up before joining the forerunner organisation of BBB, Capital for Enterprise Ltd, in 2009.

Douglas Hansen-Luke, Executive Chairman, Future Planet Capital

Douglas Hansen-Luke

Executive Chairman and Founder
Future Planet Capital

Douglas Hansen-Luke is the Executive Chairman and Founder of Future Planet Capital, where he leads the Future Planet flagship fund and Global Growth strategies.

He spearheaded FPC’s investment and a $100m+ syndicate into Barinthus Bio (formerly Vaccitech), the Oxford spinout behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, which prevented the deaths of over 6 million individuals.

Of the 50 portfolio companies within Global Growth, Douglas has particularly investments into NeoVac, Nutri-San and Pragmatic Semiconductors.

With nearly 20 years of experience in emerging markets, Douglas has overseen the deployment and marketing of over $13bn across emerging asset classes. His career includes leadership roles at Robeco (CEO for ME, Africa & Central Asia), bfinance (Board Advisor and CEO for ME, Africa & Central Asia), ABN AMRO Asset Management (Far East, Global & Regional roles), and Bain & Company (Eastern Europe and UK privatisation in the 1990s).

Douglas advises global institutional investors on university venture and emerging asset classes. He has authored book chapters for the Financial Times and appeared as a speaker on the BBC’s Today programme, Bloomberg, and CNBC.

Chris Hitchen, Chairman, Border to Coast Partnership

Chris Hitchen

ChaiRMAN
Border to Coast Pension Partnership

Chris is Chairman of the Border to Coast Pensions Partnership, a pooling vehicle set up by twelve LGPS pension funds with assets of over £40 billion.

He was one of the inaugural Trustees at Nest, a 9 million member DC scheme, and returned to its Board in 2018, where he chaired the Investment Committee. Chris was also corporate Chair at the Pension SuperFund, an initiative to consolidate private sector DB pension schemes.

Chris was a Board member for the Toronto-based International Centre for Pensions Management, and for the UK’s Investor Forum, a conduit for strategic dialogue between companies and investors, and an outcome of the Kay Review, on which Chris served.

Chris is an Actuary, a Past Chair of the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association and an Honorary Fellow of the CFA Society of the UK. He and his wife Pip have four mostly grown-up sons and in his spare time, Chris runs marathons slowly.

Ruston Smith, Chairman, Tesco Pension Fund

Ruston Smith

Chairman
Tesco Pension Fund

Ruston has 40 years experience in the pension fund and investment industry, led industry initiatives supporting customers and government – and has worked for charities for over 15 years.

He was the former Group Pensions, Insurable Risk and a People Director at Tesco, set up and was the CEO of Tesco Pension Investment Ltd – FCA approved in house investment manager. Previously he was the PLC Company Secretary for PZ Cussons plc where he was also responsible for group pensions, insurable risk, legal and property.

Ruston is now the Chair of the Tesco Pension Fund (DB and DC) and former Chair of the FCA approved Tesco Pension Investment Ltd, Independent Trustee and Chair of the Funding and Investment Committee for the BAE Pension Fund, Non Exec Chair of JP Morgan Asset Management Ltd (UK and EMEA), former Non Exec Chair of Smart Pension Ltd (award winning FinTech) remaining a Senior Advisor, Non Exec Chair of the Asset Management Exchange ICAV, Non Exec Chair of Guiide (FinTech), Non Exec Chair of the Pensions Management Institute, Governor of the Pensions Policy Institute and Chair of GroceryAid, an industry charity. Also sits on the Genomic Development Board for Sarcoma UK.

Ruston was on the DC Patient Capital Steering Committee and the Bank of England, Treasury and FCA’s Steering Group on Investment in Productive Finance and now sits on the Expert Panel for the British Venture Capital Association. He has also served on the Advisory Board for the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute and established and chaired the MBA Alumni for the Manchester Metropolitan University.

He was a former Chair of the PLSA, Co Chair of the DWP’s 2017 Auto Enrolment Review Board, led the Simpler Annual Statement initiative (now a regulatory requirement), chaired the cross regulator and industry ‘Standardised Assumptions Group’, led the Members’ Costs and Charges Initiative and co-leads the Lifetime Savings Initiative. Also a former Trustee Board Director of two Master Trusts.

He has served over 16 years with UK charities which includes GroceryAid which he now chairs, the Genomic Development Board for Sarcoma UK and the National Council for Palliative Care – and has completed a number of challenges to raise money for charitable purposes. MBA with distinction. A Fellow of the Pensions Management Institute, a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

He has also been recognised for a number of industry awards including Lifetime Achievement Award for the Pension Industry, Pensions Personality of the Year, Good Fellow Award from Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute, Trustee of the Year, Pensions Manager of the Year, Innovation Initiative of the Year, DC Champion of the Year.

Rachel Brougham, Trustee Executive, BESTrustees

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 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 Nat West 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, was a member of the Global Retirement & Investment Leadership and CEO of Aon Hewitt Ltd in the UK. He also sat on the Aon 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.

Hill Gaston, Principal, Mercer

Hill Gaston

UK Head of Sustainable Investment
Mercer

Hill is UK Head of Sustainable Investment in Mercer’s Global Sustainable Investment (SI) team. 

He provides advice to sustainable investment leaders on integrating sustainability issues throughout their investment strategy. Hill has extensive experience advising institutional investors on a range of areas including impact investing, climate change & net-zero, nature and biodiversity, sustainable investment strategies, stewardship and regulatory developments. 

Hill advises a number of ambitious investors on designing, implementing, managing and measuring impact portfolios, across listed and private markets. He is responsible for the creation and ongoing development of Mercer’s impact services delivered through the Impact Pathway.  

Hill holds a joint Honors degree in Economics and International Development from the University of Bath. He is a CFA Charterholder. 

William McGrath

Chief Executive
C-SUITE PENSION STRATEGIES

William McGrath has a City background and was an executive director of Plcs for 25 years, latterly serving as CEO of Aga Rangemaster, a group which set an innovative long-term framework for its DB scheme back in 2015. It has worked very well in practice. 

He founded C-Suite Pension Strategies to encourage corporate engagement in DB pensions, and for schemes to “Run On 4 Good” on all stakeholders’ interests. 

Ian McKinlay, Senior Adviser, Avida International

Ian McKinlay

Expert Pensions CIO

Ian is a highly experienced pensions investment executive. Most recently, he has been the Chief Investment Officer at Lloyds Banking Group Pensions, overseeing some £40 billion of assets across both DB and DC sections. He joined Lloyds from Aviva, where he carried out a similar role. Prior to that, he was the CIO of the Pension Protection Fund. Ian is also a member of the actuarial profession’s Finance and Investment Board, while also being Chairman of EPFIF’s Pension Fund Investment Advisory Committee.

Stephanie Nuttall, Head of Pension Scheme Executive, M&G plc

Stephanie Nuttall

Head of Pension Scheme Executive
M&G plc

Steph took up the role of Head of Pension Scheme Executive for M&G in July 2024, assuming responsibility for the company’s three staff pension schemes.

She previously spent 19 years at Lloyds Banking Group in a number of pensions roles, ultimately taking responsibility for all member facing activity and strategic change as Head of Pensions Operations. Working on the Lloyds schemes provided the opportunity for Steph to build a broad experience, including the challenge of GMP equalisation through the court case and subsequent implementation. 

Steph’s primary focus is on the member experience within pension schemes, which she views as becoming ever more critical with the shift to DC pensions and the need for members to understand their retirement savings and options.