I now provide pensions management and scheme secretarial services to both Defined Benefit (DB) and Defined Contribution (DC) pension. Tasks I am now regularly involved in include producing meeting agendas and minutes as well as helping to solve individual members’ problems and tackling tricky member death cases. The latest challenge has been to ensure effective ‘virtual’ trustee meetings, often by making them more frequent but shorter and more focused.

If I was going to provide advice to colleagues on how to progress their careers, it would be to always ask for the background. Having a wider understanding of how a task fits into a bigger picture is really helpful and means I learn through my work. Also, by understanding a task better, you are more likely to be able to take a more advanced role or ownership next time.

I would also encourage colleagues to take the PMI exams. They are hard work, but I surprised myself and colleagues by winning five top marks in these. I qualified as an Associate Member of the Pension Management Institute at the end of 2018 and have experienced first-hand how the material I learnt as part of the exams helps in my everyday role.

The final bit of advice I would give to colleagues, is to take opportunities you are given, even if you find these daunting. These will develop you and help you progress in your career. It is by doing new things that we learn.

For me, now that I have a deeper understanding of pensions and have seen a variety of work over the five and a half years I have worked in the industry, my next goal is to become the overall client manager with responsibility for everyone, from the Scheme Actuary to the administration team and Aon’s overall relationship with the client. I also enjoy developing more junior colleagues and helping apprentices and graduates as they enter the pensions profession.