All Governance articles – Page 17

  • News

    TPR in discussions with Plumbing trustees over governance failures

    2020-08-21T00:00:00Z

    The Pensions Regulator has been in discussions with the trustees of the Plumbing and Mechanical Services Industry Pension Scheme, who face criticism for governance failures amid a long-running debacle that could send plumbers into bankruptcy.

  • News

    TPR conducts internal review after Norton case

    2020-08-13T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Pensions Regulator is conducting an internal review to identify if there are lessons to be learnt after the Norton Motorcycles debacle, a case that left members looking to recoup losses in excess of £14m.

  • News

    Investors urge companies to tackle modern-day slavery in Gulf

    2020-08-05T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Brunel Pension Partnership is among a group of investors calling on companies to protect migrant workers in the Gulf, over concerns that job cancellations caused by Covid-19 are forcing them into debt bondage.

  • Opinion

    The dawn of continuous governance

    2020-07-29T00:00:00Z

    As far as pension trusteeship is concerned, ‘continuous governance’ is exactly as the name would suggest: the constant oversight and continuous monitoring of all the working parts that make up an occupational pension scheme.

  • News

    PLSA framework to help savers navigate ‘confusing’ freedoms

    2020-07-29T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association has proposed a new regulatory regime that will require schemes to support savers when making decisions about how to access their pensions.

  • News

    Trend towards master trusts continues apace

    2020-07-14T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The rate at which FTSE 250 companies move to master trusts as their main defined contribution vehicle is set to accelerate over the next two years, according to a new report from Willis Towers Watson.

  • News

    Podcast: Pension schemes bill could have ‘unintended consequences’

    2020-07-07T00:00:00Z

    Podcast: The pension schemes bill defines criminal offences so broadly that it could have “unintended consequences” for the running of pension schemes, potentially stifling legitimate corporate activity. Tiffany Tsang, Local Government Pension Scheme and defined benefit policy lead at the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association, and Eversheds Sutherland partner Jeremy Goodwin both agree that more clarity is needed, in an episode also covering fallout from the passage of the insolvency bill, the launch of the Make My Money Matter campaign, and a 16th century pension scheme bailout.

  • Opinion

    IGCs let savers down with impunity

    2020-07-06T00:00:00Z

    In an earlier column for Pensions Expert, I asked whether independent governance committees were up to the job of looking after the interests of millions of workplace pension savers.

  • News

    Environment Agency scheme takes aim at private equity ESG failings

    2020-07-06T00:00:00Z

    When BBC sports presenter Gary Lineker took to Twitter after the Make My Money Matter campaign launch to say he “hadn’t even contemplated that investment into our pensions could be so questionable. Will be asking questions now, though”, he manifested the point and the goal of the campaign: most people have a vision for the future, but very few realise the power of pensions in realising it.

  • News

    How can schemes make ESG compliance meaningful?

    2020-06-26T00:00:00Z

    Analysis: The UK pension industry’s first attempt at compliance with new sustainability reporting rules has left campaigners unimpressed, to say the very least.

  • News

    DB trustees spend 3,000 days a year processing inefficiencies

    2020-06-25T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Defined benefit pension scheme trustees cumulatively spend 3,000 days each year monitoring processes that could be avoided by adopting a technology-led approach, new analysis shows.

  • News

    Regulator finds lack of consistency in IGCs

    2020-06-24T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Financial Conduct Authority is concerned about a lack of consistency in the way independent governance committees operate, which means that members of some workplace pension schemes may not be receiving value for money.

  • News

    Peers push for clarity over insolvency measures

    2020-06-18T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Members of the House of Lords have pressed the government to provide clarity over the impact of new insolvency laws on pension schemes.

  • News

    Fiduciary managers outperform during coronavirus crisis

    2020-06-10T00:00:00Z

    Analysis: A year after emerging from the scrutiny of the Competition and Markets Authority, fiduciary managers are now embracing transparency to advertise outperformance of traditional advised defined benefit schemes.

  • News

    Lockdown spikes fears of democratic deficit in LGPS

    2020-06-05T00:00:00Z

    As the Covid-19 crisis unfolds, there could be a worrying governance and democratic deficit in some local authority pension schemes, with only 27 per cent of councils having virtual pension committee meetings.

  • Podcasts

    Podcast: 'Crystal ball-gazing' makes ethical investment tough for trustees

    2020-06-05T00:00:00Z

    Trustees aiming to make ethical investment decisions can find it tough to justify them without recourse to a crystal ball, as the legal requirements are ill-defined, says Irwin Mitchell’s pensions partner Penny Cogher. In this episode she’s joined by independent consultant and long-time pensions expert Malcolm McLean for a discussion covering capital-backed endgame deals, the complications of new insolvency laws, and some morally dubious LGPS investments.

  • News

    Brunel achieves carbon intensity reduction target

    2020-06-04T00:00:00Z

    Brunel Pension Partnership has achieved its target of reducing the carbon intensity of its active portfolio by 7 per cent a year in time for the UN’s World Environment Day, but smaller schemes saddled with pooled products may lack the clout required to emulate them.

  • Greig McGuinness
    Opinion

    More than a number: what it means to be a professional trustee

    2020-06-02T00:00:00Z

    I am 118F, the F denoting full accreditation as a professional pension trustee by the Association of Professional Pension Trustees. But, beyond bragging rights, what is the point?

  • Opinion

    Trustees must face hard governance truths after Covid shake-up

    2020-06-02T00:00:00Z

    Our daily lives will inevitably change once the Covid-19 crisis is over.

  • News

    USS divests from coal, tobacco and weapons manufacturers

    2020-06-01T00:00:00Z

    The UK’s largest pension scheme has announced it is to divest from selected coal, tobacco and weapons manufacturers, following years of campaigning by members and activist groups.