Appointments: PPF, Railpen, BESTrustees, Law Deb, WTW

There are new non-executive directors at two of the UK’s biggest pension schemes.

The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) this week announced Simon Gadd and Sonia Gogna as new board members. The pair took up their roles on 1 September.

Gadd worked at Legal & General for more than 38 years, most recently as group climate change director. He stepped down last year and has been an executive adviser to the company since then.

Gogna has worked in senior positions for several financial services companies including Abrdn, Aon and State Street Global Advisers.

Railpen bolsters board with non-execs

Railpen, management company for the £34bn multi-employer railways industry pension scheme, has appointed two new independent non-executive directors.

Busola Sodeinde holds several non-executive roles, including trustee governor of the audit and risk committee at Church Commissioners for England.

Sue Amies-King, meanwhile, has led multiple large-scale transformations as a senior executive, managing director, and CEO across financial services and utilities sectors.

She also holds non-executive positions including at Aviva Investors and Hastings Insurance.

Mike Craston, chair of Railpen’s board, said the pair’s “experience and knowledge will add to the diversity of thought on the Railpen board, which is vital to ensuring we deliver on our purpose to secure our members’ future”.

BESTrustees strengthens Edinburgh team

BESTrustees has hired Russell Baird from Aegon Asset Management as a professional trustee.

A qualified actuary, Baird was previously Aegon’s head of UK investment solutions. His appointment is part of BESTrustees’ effort to strengthen its presence in Scotland.

He has worked in a number of actuarial and consulting positions including for Scottish Amicable, Prudential and Aon Consulting before moving to Aegon.

Haggarty joins WTW as director

WTW has appointed Rachel Haggarty as a director in its Edinburgh-based retirement team.

She joins from Hymans Robertson and specialises in advising companies on defined contribution schemes.

Suzanne Vaughan, head of retirement for WTW in Scotland said: “Our recent 2024 DC Pensions and Savings Survey highlighted that employers have growing concerns around their employee’s retirement adequacy and Rachel’s depth of experience will be of great value to those looking to address these concerns in the coming months.

“Rachel’s appointment bolsters our senior team locally in the defined contribution space, which is an important strategic growth area for us in Scotland.”

Tabiner opts for Law Debenture

Independent trustee firm Law Debenture has appointed Helen Tabiner as a pensions trustee.

She joins from Eversheds Sutherland where she worked for 10 years, most recently as a principal associate. She also worked at DLA Piper for seven years.

Law Debenture said Tabiner would “play a key role in managing complex relationships and supporting co-trustees to achieve long-term strategic goals”.