PMI End Game Solutions Conference 2024

PMI End Game Solutions Conference 2024

29 October 2024 | 08:30 - 17:00
Various

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PMI End Game Solutions Conference

Powered by Spence & Partners

Join us for the premier event on DB pension scheme long-term planning, tailored specifically for smaller DB schemes up to £175m of assets or 1,000 members.

Are you a trustee or CFO navigating the options available?

Gain invaluable insights, expert advice, and practical strategies at our comprehensive training and conference event. Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your knowledge, network with industry leaders, and hear from experts that have trodden this path with pension schemes like yours.

As a trustee or CFO, the responsibility of navigating the end game of a DB pension scheme is technically challenging and carries large risk and reward. Our upcoming event is designed to equip you with the tools and knowledge necessary to make informed decisions and implement effective strategies. This comprehensive conference brings together top experts from across the industry, including asset managers, covenant advisors, insurers, legal professionals, and consultants.

Throughout the event, you'll engage in in-depth discussions and debates, explore regulatory and legislative expectations, and examine practical options through detailed case studies. Learn about consolidation strategies, streamline solutions for smaller schemes, and discover how to mitigate risks effectively. Whether you’re considering a run-on strategy or an insurance buyout, this event provides the clarity and support you need to plan the next stage of your pension scheme with confidence.

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    Fees

    members: free
    Trustees (non-members): £149 (+VAT)
    CFO (non-members): £149 (+VAT)
    Consultants: £1200 (+VAT)
    Affiliate and Corporate members: £600 (+VAT)
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    In person

    event
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    10+

    speakers
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    CPD

    7

Event Details

THE BASICS

Topics of discussion:
  • Consolidation
  • Regulatory / legislative expectations of Trustees when winding up a scheme
  • Trustee Board Options in practice
Who should attend:
  • Trustees
  • CFO 
  • Consultants
  • The conference is for smaller DB schemes up to £175m of assets or 1,000 members
The venue

A&O Shearman, One Bishops Square, London E1 6AD

Agenda

08:30 - 09:00
Arrivals, registration and breakfast
09:00 - 09:05
Welcome
Bill Galvin
Bill Galvin
3173 Group
CEO
09:05 - 09:40
Setting the Scene & Technical Analysis – exploring the options
Rachel Graham
Rachel Graham
Spence & Partners
Scheme Actuary
Tom Pook
Tom Pook
Spence & Partners
Head of Trustee Services
Martyn Phillips
Martyn Phillips
Spence & Partners
Risk Transfer Lead
09:40 - 10:20
Navigating Regulatory Expectations: Trustees' Roles in Scheme Wind-Up
Fiona Frobisher
Fiona Frobisher
TPR
Head of Policy

As pension schemes approach the end game, trustees play a critical role in ensuring a smooth and compliant wind-up process. This session, led by experts from The Pensions Regulator (TPR), will provide trustees with essential guidance on navigating the complex regulatory landscape during the wind-up phase.

10:20 - 10:50
Networking Break
10:50 - 11:20
Risk Mitigation Strategies: Protecting Trustee Boards from Vulnerabilities
Kate McInerney
Kate McInerney
A&O Shearman
Partner
Neil Bowden
Neil Bowden
A&O Shearman
Partner, Head of UK Pensions

In an increasingly complex regulatory environment, trustee boards face numerous risks that can impact the successful management and wind-up of pension schemes. This session, led by the legal experts at A&O Shearman, focuses on the essential risk mitigation strategies that can safeguard trustee boards from potential vulnerabilities.

11:20 - 12:05
Deep Dive. Buy-out - Streamlining solutions for smaller schemes.
Andrew Shaposhnikov
Aviva
Dominic Moret
Dominic Moret
Legal & General
Head of Origination and Execution
Martyn Phillips
Martyn Phillips
Spence & Partners
Risk Transfer Lead
Rob Mechem
Rob Mechem
Just Group
Director of DB Business Development

As smaller pension schemes approach their end game, trustees face the critical decision of whether a buy-out is the most efficient path forward. This debate delves into the legal risks and considerations of various end game options, including buy-outs, consolidation vehicles, and run-on strategies, with a focus on their impact on trustees and scheme members.

12:05 - 13:00
Lunch and Networking
13:00 - 13:40
The case for Run-on
Barnaby Low
Barnaby Low
Charles Stanley
Portfolio Manager
Ellie Mckinnon
Ellie Mckinnon
Cheviot
Chief Executive
Karina Brookes
Karina Brookes
EY
Partner | Strategy and Transactions I Pensions Strategy

As an alternative to traditional buy-out, some trustee boards may wish to consider "run-on" strategies as an alternative path to securing member benefits. In this 30-minute workshop, panellists will explore real-life case studies, demonstrating the challenges faced by smaller schemes in adopting a run-on strategy and the solutions that have been successfully implemented to ensure long-term viability.

13:40 - 14:20
The case for Buy-out
Claire Petheram
Claire Petheram
Linklaters
Partner, Global Pension Funds Practice Head
Akash Rooprai
Akash Rooprai
IGG
Trustee Director | Head of Risk Transfer

For smaller pension schemes, navigating the path to a successful insurance buyout can be particularly challenging. In this focused 30-minute workshop, each panellist will present a real-world case study, highlighting the specific challenges smaller schemes face when pursuing traditional insurance buyout routes and the innovative solutions that have been implemented to overcome these hurdles.

14:20 - 14:45
The case for consolidation: Why it matters for pension schemes

As the challenges facing smaller Defined Benefit (DB) schemes continue to grow, the need for a more strategic approach to governance and operations becomes increasingly clear. In this session, the PPF will present research that supports the case for a public sector consolidation vehicle, addressing the inefficiencies that persist across the market.

14:50 - 15:15
Networking Break
15:15 - 15:45
Operational consolidation in practice
Annabelle Hardiman
Annabelle Hardiman
IGG
Trustee Director | Head of PCST
Ellie Mckinnon
Ellie Mckinnon
Cheviot
Chief Executive
Tom Pook
Tom Pook
Spence & Partners
Head of Trustee Services

Through real-world case studies presented by experts from Cheviot and IGG, attendees will gain insights into the tangible benefits of consolidation, such as improved governance, reduced costs, and streamlined operations. Speakers will share their experiences in implementing consolidation solutions, highlighting both the opportunities it offers and the challenges it helps resolve.

15:45 - 16:05
The future, what next, action planning
Bill Galvin
Bill Galvin
3173 Group
CEO
Martyn Phillips
Martyn Phillips
Spence & Partners
Risk Transfer Lead

As the pensions landscape continues to evolve, it’s essential for trustees, CFOs, and consultants to stay ahead of emerging trends and anticipate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. In this forward-looking session, industry leaders will share their vision for the future of pensions, exploring key developments, innovations, and the shifting regulatory environment.

16:05 - 17:00
Networking Drinks Reception

Speakers

More details coming soon.

Akash Rooprai
Akash Rooprai
IGG
- Trustee Director | Head of Risk Transfer

With over 30 years’ pensions experience, Akash is a qualified actuary and leads a range of pension schemes with a variety of sizes and circumstances.
Akash is a Trustee Director at IGG working on a set of pension schemes of a range of sizes and circumstances. Previously, he was lead of the Sole Trusteeship proposition for over two years and transitioned five schemes to sole trusteeship some with complex projects in progress at the same time. He has carried out many buy-ins/outs and GMP Equalisation projects as a trustee and is working through several wind-ups.

Prior to trusteeship, Akash had wide industry experience at leading consultancies and an insurer. He was a Scheme Actuary for many years, advising on schemes of all sizes on their pensions issues. He has industry-leading knowledge of pension risk management and journey planning, and is respected by industry leaders in this area. He has a wide network across the EBCs and insurers up to the most senior levels..

Akash previously chaired the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries’ Bulk Annuities and Longevity Swaps member interest group for four years and chairs the data sub-group of PASA’s GMP Equalisation Working Group.

Akash is a fully accredited trustee with the Association of Professional Pension Trustees (APPT).

Angela Burns
Angela Burns
Spence & Partners
- Scheme Actuary

Angela qualified as a Fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries (and a qualified Chartered Enterprise Risk Actuary) in 2011 and is a practising Scheme Actuary. She has significant experience in statutory actuarial work, such as formal actuarial valuations and annual funding updates, and producing accounting disclosures under the relevant accounting standards.

Angela has project managed de-risking and liability management exercises involving enhanced transfer value options, pension increase exchange, early retirement options and trivial commutation lump sums. She has managed two recent scheme wind-ups to a successful conclusion and is currently working on a number of buy-outs at different stages of their journey. Angela’s portfolio of clients includes a variety of schemes, with liabilities ranging from £2m to £300m.

Annabelle Hardiman
Annabelle Hardiman
IGG
- Trustee Director | Head of PCST

She has a ten-year background working in pensions, initially as Pensions Manager and Scheme Secretary, and now also acts as a professional trustee across a number of schemes. As such, she has a strong focus on good governance and uses this as a method to reduce the operational risk of Trustee Boards.

With a keen eye for detail, Annabelle ensures any complex information is presented in a clear, concise and logical manner to help trustees when making decisions that impact their scheme and its members.

Annabelle seeks to build strong relationships with all stakeholders, including trustees, sponsoring employers and all third-party service providers, to ensure the timely provision of information and thereby facilitate effective and efficient decision-making by the Trustee Board.

Annabelle has experience in both defined benefit and defined contribution arrangements, and both single-employer and multi-employer arrangements. This includes the use of master trusts, where Annabelle has extensive knowledge of the DC master trust authorisation regime. Annabelle is PRINCE 2 qualified and uses this to oversee various projects including DC bulk transfers, DB buy-ins and other de-risking initiatives.

As part of her role as Head of PCST, Annabelle is responsible for ensuring IGG is at the forefront of innovation in this space. As part of this, she led the development of IGGnite, specifically created for smaller schemes.

Annabelle is an Associate of the Pensions Management Institute and fully-accredited as a professional trustee by the Association of Professional Pension Trustees.

Bill Galvin
Bill Galvin
3173 Group
- CEO

Bill joined 3173 Limited (“The Group”) as Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) on 1 March 2024.
His role as CEO supports the continuing strong growth of the leading UK pension governance, advisory, investment and technology Group which includes the Dalriada Trustees, Spence & Partners and Mantle businesses.

Bill previously served as CEO of USS (the UK’s largest pension scheme) for over a decade. During his time as CEO, Bill built a high-performing executive team, and steered the scheme through very challenging circumstances. Under his charge, USS created significant value for members: introducing an innovative hybrid pension offering, building a sector-leading in-house investment team, and creating a pension administration function that receives excellent ratings for service levels and decision support. Prior to joining the USS, Bill spent almost five years at the Pensions Regulator, latterly as CEO, where he was responsible for the efficient regulation and supervision of the UK pension market notably during the launch and introduction of auto enrollment in 2012.

Bill is experienced operating at board level, with over 13 years as a CEO leading, structuring and changing complex organisations. He brings a facilitative but highly effective leadership style. He is skilled in grappling with challenging trade-offs, making decisions and delivering outcomes in complex public and private sector environments.

Bill is also a Council Member for the Institute for Fiscal Studies and a Governor of the Pensions Policy Institute. He has previously served on the Boards of the Pensions Advisory Service, The Solicitors Regulation Authority, and the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority.

Barnaby Low
Barnaby Low
Charles Stanley
- Portfolio Manager

Barnaby has been working in pensions and investment for 15 years, starting as an investment consultant before switching to fiduciary management. Throughout his career he has advised pension scheme trustees and charities on all aspects of investment including journey planning, risk management, and end-game strategy. He currently manages portfolios for DB pension schemes with a range of long-term objectives.

Barnaby qualified as a Fellow of the Institute & Faculty of Actuaries in 2014 and holds masters degrees in finance and economics.

Claire Petheram
Claire Petheram
Linklaters
- Partner, Global Pension Funds Practice Head

Claire is a partner and global pension funds practice head. She has more than 25 years’ experience of advising on pensions law, including pension scheme mergers, benefit change, equalisation issues, investment management matters, flexible benefit programmes, innovative funding solutions involving contingent assets and SLP structures, and liability management initiatives involving swap and insurance-based products (buy-ins and buy-outs). In the past few years, Claire has advised on buy-in /buy-out contracts covering in excess of £10 billion of liabilities.
Claire regularly speaks at industry events including the PLSA Annual Conference, and contributes to various publications, including the Firm’s Trustee Agenda. Claire has a portfolio of pension fund clients.

Dominic Moret
Dominic Moret
Legal & General
- Head of Origination and Execution

Dom leads the team in Legal & General’s Pension Risk Transfer business that is responsible for implementing buy-in and buyout transactions. He has responsibility for external relationships and the development of solutions for pension schemes of all sizes. In his time at Legal & General, Dom has led the implementation of some of L&G’s most innovative de-risking transactions. He has been at Legal & General for nine years and has 20 years’ experience across pensions consulting and life insurance. Dom is a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.

Ellie Mckinnon
Ellie Mckinnon
Cheviot
- Chief Executive

Ellie has worked in the pensions industry for more than 30 years.  She is responsible for the strategic direction of the Cheviot Trust and is also a trustee.  An authorised DC Master Trust, Cheviot also runs a DB master trust under the same governance structure.  With a background in the legal sector, Ellie has a strong focus on governance issues.  She is passionate about clear, focussed and accessible communications across the board: from advisers and trustees to employers and members.

Fiona Frobisher
Fiona Frobisher
TPR
- Head of Policy

Fiona is Head of Policy at TPR, leading on changes to how TPR regulates areas such as value for money in DC schemes, funding for DB schemes and standards for trustees.   She has more than 20 years' experience in developing private pension standards and leading regulatory change.  She is passionate about delivering pragmatic solutions which both protect members and work for those implementing them.   

She has recently returned from a loan as a Deputy Director at DWP where she led on the government response to effect of gilt rises on pension schemes, and way to ensure that pensions schemes including defined benefit schemes invest more productively. 

Karina Brookes
Karina Brookes
EY
- Partner | Strategy and Transactions I Pensions Strategy

Karina leads EY’s award winning Pension Covenant Advisory practice.

Karina has twenty years’ experience in pension advisory services advising corporates and trustees of some of the UK’s largest pension schemes on scheme funding, restructuring, transactions, apportionments and regulatory issues.

She is a recent Chair of the Employer Covenant Practitioners Association leading industry wide consultation responses and market developments including development of thinking on covenant horizon and strategies to support long term run on.

She has also spent time seconded to the funding team at the Pensions Regulator.

Karina’s background is in complex financial restructuring including time with a US investment bank and at the Bank of England. She works across sectors, and has advised a number of clients in Automotive & Transportation, Consumer Products, Retail, and Telecoms.

She also co-chairs a long standing Women in Pensions group with over 400 professional members across the UK.

Kate McInerney
Kate McInerney
A&O Shearman
- Partner

Kate is an insurance specialist with extensive transactional and advisory experience in the sector, particularly in pensions de-risking. Kate’s clients include insurers, reinsurers, pension scheme trustees, sponsoring employers and banks. As well as having an outstanding record in pensions de-risking, Kate has worked on some of the most significant M&A transactions in the insurance sector in recent years.

Kate was seconded to the UK Financial Services Authority for a year, where she was part of a team advising policy makers on the UK implementation of Solvency II.

Kate is listed as Leading Individual by Legal 500 for Insurance Corporate and Regulatory 2024. Kate was awarded ‘Rising Star’ for Corporate at the Euromoney Women in Business Law Awards 2017.

Martyn Phillips
Martyn Phillips
Spence & Partners
- Risk Transfer Lead

Martyn has been involved and heavily focussed on the Pension Risk Transfer market since 2007. In that time, he has worked on the insurer side for around 4 years (gaining hugely valuable insights into the insurer processes, mindset and strategies), and has over 13 years of experience on the trustee advisory side.

Martyn has built and led Pension Risk Transfer teams in major Employee Benefit consultancies. He has personally led and advised on c50 transactions, covering schemes below £10m to schemes over £1bn in size, and has driven innovation in the Pension Risk Transfer marketplace, bringing a focus on pragmatic and holistic solutions whilst always maintaining a focus on key client and member outcomes required.

Neil Bowden
Neil Bowden
A&O Shearman
- Partner, Head of UK Pensions

Neil is UK Head of Pensions. He advises a mixture of trustees and employers on their pension arrangements with a client base including some of the biggest funds in the UK. Recently, Neil has assisted clients with key strategic changes such as benefit reviews, contingent funding arrangements and closure of schemes to future accrual, as well as guiding them through the changing regulatory environment (including the increasing focus on ESG issues). He also has a great deal of experience in liability management, including advising in a number of the significant recent buy-in and longevity swap transactions.

Neil sits on the Legislative and Parliamentary Subcommittee of the Association of Pensions Lawyers and also served on the committee of the Society of Pension Consultants. He regularly speaks at industry conferences and training events.

Rachel Graham
Rachel Graham
Spence & Partners
- Scheme Actuary

Rachel joined Spence as a graduate over 10 years ago. She is a practising Scheme Actuary and qualified as a Fellow of the Institute & Faculty of Actuaries in 2018.

Rachel currently works as part of Spence’s Actuarial & Investment team based in Belfast. She has experience working for private pension schemes on regulatory tasks, as well as on tasks for the not-for-profit sector for a variety of organisations across the UK. Rachel also provides consultancy services across a range of clients in Northern Ireland, Scotland and England. She has experience in projects for the Pension Protection Fund following Spence & Partners’ appointment to the PPF’s actuarial and administration panel.

Rob Mechem
Rob Mechem
Just Group
- Director of DB Business Development

Rob joined the DB solutions team in 2014. He cares about finding the right solutions when trustees are preparing to buy-in or buyout. His team supports trustees and their administration partners from enquiry, through transaction and onwards to transition. He is a qualified life insurance actuary which helps ensure the right questions get asked to maximise value for trustees. Before joining Just, he spent 12 years at Aviva. He is a regular contributor to the pensions press.

Tom Pook
Tom Pook
Spence & Partners
- Head of Trustee Services

Tom entered the pensions industry in 2001 and prior to joining Spence worked for a major employee benefits consultancy for over 13 years, leading teams focussing on pension projects for DB and DC schemes.

Tom is a Fellow of the Pensions Management Institute, and a member of Spence’s senior leadership team. As well as leading Trustee services Tom manages Spence’s relationship with the Pension Protection Fund.

Thank you to our sponsors and partners for your support

Spence & Partners
Spence & Partners
Platinum Sponsor
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Spence is on a mission to bring simpler and smarter solutions to the pensions industry. Focused on making it easy for you to meet your scheme goals.

A wealth of experience and expertise are the foundation of our innovative outlook and from our founding in 2000, Spence quickly became synonymous with practical and pragmatic advice.

We serve all stakeholders of Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution pension schemes. We share a common purpose to empower trustees, employers, professional advisers and members with the right tools, technology, personal and professional support.

A&O Shearman
A&O Shearman
Host
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Charles Stanley
Charles Stanley
Sponsor
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IGG
IGG
Sponsor
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Linklaters
Linklaters
Sponsor
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Aviva
Aviva
Sponsor
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Cheviot Trust
Cheviot Trust
Sponsor
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L&G
L&G
Sponsor
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Alexander Lloyd
Alexander Lloyd
Sponsor
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Just
Just
Sponsor
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EY
EY
Sponsor
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Heywood
Heywood
Exhibitor
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AMNT
AMNT
Media Partner
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Pi Partnership
Pi Partnership
Media Partner
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mallowstreet
mallowstreet
Media Partner
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