Appointments: Avon, Barnett Waddingham, Spence, EY

Avon Pension Fund has hired Rebecca Whelan as senior investments officer, based at its Keynsham offices near Bath.

She will oversee the £5.4bn local authority fund’s carbon disclosures and help implement its recent £150m allocation to local impact investments.

Her previous roles include head of research roles at Beckford James Chartered Financial Planners and Parallel Investment Management. 

Barnett Waddingham hires senior risk transfer actuary

Consultancy group Barnett Waddingham has grown its bulk annuities team by appointing Nikhil Patel as senior risk transfer actuary. 

Patel will work with trustees and sponsors of defined benefit (DB) pension schemes of all sizes to identify and implement appropriate risk transfer solutions. 

He joins from Mercer where he spent two years in the risk transfer team. He led the risk transfer business at PwC during a 14-year stint, which also saw him advise trustees and corporate sponsors on funding, full scheme buyouts, investment and risk management solutions.

New head of risk transfer at Spence

Spence & Partners has also strengthened its bulk annuities offering, naming Martyn Phillips as head of risk transfer.

He will be responsible for growing Spence’s presence in the risk transfer market, helping trustees and scheme sponsors develop and implement robust risk transfer strategies. 

He joins from Pension Liability Resolutions, where he was a business development director, and brings more than 15 years of specialist experience in the pension risk transfer market.

Alan Collins, managing director at Spence & Partners, said: “Martyn’s depth of experience in the pension risk transfer market will prove invaluable to Spence’s clients. His industry knowledge and specialist expertise in advising schemes and sponsors on a variety of transactions and solutions will undoubtedly help to strengthen and enhance our position in the market.”

EY appoints new UK head of life and pensions

Audit and consultancy giant EY has appointed Alistair Brannan as its UK head of life and pensions. He takes over from Martina Neary, who was recently named EY’s UK insurance leader.

In addition to his new role, Brannan will join EY’s UK insurance leadership team and remain as the client and markets leader for EY’s financial services business in Scotland, a post he has held since 2018.

Neary said: “The UK’s life insurance and pensions sector is at a pivotal moment of technology transformation and policy reform, and Alistair’s deep sector knowledge and strong client relationships will be invaluable as we support clients on this journey.” 

Based in Edinburgh, Alistair has over 19 years of experience in the financial services sector. He joined EY in 2015 as a director in financial services risk consulting, and was made a partner in 2021. Previously, he spent more than 10 years with the Royal Bank of Scotland Group.

Zedra creates client relationship role

Financial services firm Zedra has named Nicola Parnham as client relationship director within its governance team, a newly created role.

Parnham joined the company in 2018, responsible for business development. She previously spent 29 years with Aon in a range of senior relationship management and business development roles. 

Kim Nash, managing director of Zedra Governance, said: “Since joining us, Nicola has played an integral role in supporting our clients and has continuously demonstrated a client focused priority and keen aptitude for engagement.

“Her wealth of experience uniquely positions her to further our commitment to understanding and meeting the distinct needs of each client, enhancing our existing expertise and solidifying our dedication to excellence in governance throughout our regional offices.”

Quantum Advisory promotes Wateridge to principal consultant

Darren Wateridge has been promoted to the role of principal consultant at Quantum Advisory.

He joined the firm in 2013 as a senior consultant and actuary and has over 25 years’ experience in the pensions industry. 

He is currently scheme actuary to a number of pension scheme clients and advises trustees and companies on a wide range of issues including funding, accounting, benefit change exercises and de-risking strategies.

Cartwright appoints Chesner to northern investment role

Cartwright has hired Yona Chesner from Isio as a senior investment consultant and head of investment (north).

He is based in Manchester and will be responsible for leading and growing the firm’s new regional office.

At Isio, Chesner was a director focused on designing investment strategies for clients. Prior to this, he spent 11 years at Deloitte in various investment and advisory roles.

The appointment follows Cartwright’s appointment of Barry Widdows as senior investment consultant and southwest lead at the end of 2023.

Sam Roberts, director of investment consulting at Cartwright, said: “Regional presence across the UK is something we are dedicated to, and we have invested in heavily. It’s key for us to have a foothold close to our clients and continued expansion is in line with our business objectives.”