Appointments: PPF, ACCESS, Dalriada, BESTrustees

The Pension Protection Fund’s David Taylor, executive director and general counsel, is to depart from the lifeboat fund at the end of this year.

He has been with the PPF since it was founded in 2005. A spokesperson said Taylor had “played a key role in developing the organisation’s core proposition as well as shaping its future strategy”.

While the PPF has not revealed plans to recruit a replacement, the spokesperson added that Taylor had built “a strong and experienced leadership team, who are capable of delivering for our stakeholders and taking on more responsibility”.

ACCESS hires contracts manager

ACCESS, the £45bn pool serving 11 Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) funds, has hired Richard Smith as contracts manager.

He joins from Northern Trust where he worked for 20 years. Over the past 12 years, he has worked closely with LGPS clients including ACCESS, which ACCESS support unit director Kevin McDonald said gave Smith “a detailed understanding” of pooling.

“This means the considerable career knowledge he has amassed at Northern Trust enables him to make a unique and fundamental contribution to the continued evolution of the ACCESS pool,” McDonald added. “This will be of particular value as the current engagement with government on the Pensions Review unfolds.”

Smith will work alongside ACCESS’s current contracts manager Mark Paget for a handover period before Paget retires next year.

Senior leadership changes at Dalriada

Professional trustee firm Dalriada has appointed Shehzad Ahmad, Adrian Kennett and Charles Ward as managing directors. They are based in London, Bristol and Manchester, respectively.

Ahmad now has responsibility for the company’s sole trusteeship business, as well as leading on business development and sales.

Kennett is responsible for Dalriada’s pensions management outsourcing business, as well as its work on restructuring, scheme terminations, and regulatory appointments.

Ward has taken charge of the company’s new Dalriada Together service, which bundles together trusteeship, governance, administration and operations support. He is also responsible for the company’s portfolio of non-executive trustee appointments.

Chris Roberts, currently Dalriada’s managing director, has resigned and will leave the company following a notice period. In a statement, the company said he would work closely with colleagues and clients during this period to ensure a smooth transition.

Redhead joins BESTrustees as recruitment spree continues

BESTrustees has hired former Aon consultant Peter Redhead as a professional trustee as it continues to grow its professional trustee team.

Prior to Aon, Redhead worked at Jardine Lloyd Thompson. He has experience working in settlement, investment, and pensions administration.

Ann Rigby, chair of BESTrustees, said: “Peter is the third trustee we have recruited since the end of the summer and underlines our objective of growing our business and maintaining the extremely high quality of the service we provide to our clients.

“Peter comes with a very strong reputation from his years as a client-facing consultant and we know he and his style of working will fit right in with BESTrustees.”

Smart names Pilger to advisory role

Smart, the fintech parent of the Smart Pension master trust, has appointed Josef Pilger as senior adviser.