Appointments: Rory Murphy to leave MNOPF

Rory Murphy is to step down as chair of the Merchant Navy Officers’ Pension Fund (MNOPF) after a decade in the role.

His successor is Mike Jess, currently vice chair of the £2.1bn scheme, who has been a member-nominated trustee since 2011.

As well as this role, Jess has been vice chair of Ensign, MNOPF’s defined contribution offering that was rolled into Smart Pension last year.

He joined Nautilus International, a maritime industry trade union, in 2001 and progressed to become assistant general secretary in 2011 and latterly a senior policy adviser. Other positions Jess has held include secretary of the Nautilus Welfare Fund, and trustee of the Merchant Navy Welfare Board, the Maritime Charities Funding Group and the Maritime Education Trust.

Jess was awarded the British Empire Medal in 2017 in recognition of his work in support of seafarer welfare services.

“The MNOPF has a long and distinguished record, both as a provider of valued retirement benefits to its members, and as a pioneer of innovative approaches to asset management, scheme governance and member communications,” Jess said.

“I am proud of the fund’s achievements in recent years, and excited to be taking up this new role as we move into the next stage of the MNOPF’s journey. We are in a strong position to address the challenges ahead, and I am committed to ensuring that our members’ interests continue to be at the centre of our approach.”

New chair for Standard Life’s IGC

Andrew Davies has been named independent chair of Standard Life’s independent governance committee (IGC), which oversees the company’s workplace and personal pension schemes and their three million members.

Davies has been a member of the IGC since September 2023 and will take up his new role on 1 January 2025.

He also sits on the board of Standard Life’s master trust as a trustee director, chair of its administration and governance sub-committee, and a member of its communications and engagement sub-committee.

“As pension savers face an environment that continues to place more pressures on their finances, the role of the IGC has never been more important,” Davies said.

“Having sat on the IGC with responsibility for the communications and engagement Value for Money workstream, I’m acutely aware of the importance that value for money, sustainable investment and strong governance practices play in protecting the best interests of pension savers.”

Davies succeeds Dr David Hare as chair of the IGC. Hare has been in the role since 2019 and involved with Standard Life and Phoenix Group for nearly 10 years, chairing eight IGCs.

Stone takes investment strategy role at South Yorkshire

South Yorkshire Pensions Authority has hired Andrew Stone as assistant director for investment strategy. He succeeds Sharon Smith, who has retired.

Stone was previously a client relationship director at Legal & General Investment Management, and before that spent nearly four years at Border to Coast Pension Partnership – South Yorkshire’s pool – as head of customer relationships.

George Graham, director at South Yorkshire, said Stone’s experience and expertise in responsible investment “align perfectly with our goals”.