The latest hires, promotions and appointments for the week ending 7 June 2024.
Rob Orr is to take over as chief executive officer at the Superannuation Arrangements of the University of London (SAUL) from 1 October.
The multi-employer pension fund announced this week that Orr was to succeed retiring CEO Sue Applegarth.
Orr has worked at SAUL since 2010 and is currently the scheme’s head of technical and communications. He is a member of the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association’s policy board and chairs the association’s defined benefit committee.
Louise Lindsay, chair of SAUL, said: “After an extensive and competitive process, Rob emerged as the strongest candidate. His knowledge and experience of the issues and governance requirements for a scheme like SAUL set him apart.
“He was also the most experienced in the challenges faced by our employers and by the higher education sector. He demonstrated particular focus on achieving the right outcomes for SAUL members.”
Applegarth praised Orr’s commitment to collaboration with stakeholders and to “maintaining our positive, transparent, and motivating culture”.
Singleton elected president of SPP
The Society of Pension Professionals (SPP) has elected Sophia Singleton as its next president. Her two-year term began on 1 June.
Singleton takes over from Steve Hitchiner, partner at Barnett Waddingham, who has held the role since 1 June 2022.
Singleton is a partner and head of defined contribution (DC) at XPS Pensions Group, where she has worked since 2020. She became an SPP council member in the same year.
“I’d like to focus on ways consumer support and protections can be strengthened to improve DC outcomes, focusing on reviews of auto-enrolment, development of long-term retirement solutions and exploring how to improve investment outcomes, all while ensuring security for defined benefit (DB) members remains a priority,” Singleton said.
“We will also strengthen our role as a representative of all parts of our industry, engaging with the next generation of industry professionals and championing equality, diversity and inclusion.”
Smart appoints new board chair
Smart, the fintech company and parent to the Smart Pension master trust, has announced Gordon Wilson as its new chair of the board, succeeding Ruston Smith.
Wilson is a former CEO of business software giant Advanced and has also worked at pension technology firm Aquila Heywood. He is currently chair of three technology company boards and a board member at techUK, the trade association for UK technology firms.
Smith has been chair of Smart’s board for six years, overseeing its growth into one of the UK’s largest master trusts and a respected retirement technology provider. He is to remain a senior adviser to Smart, focusing on growth in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
The announcement follows the appointment of Kim Gubler as an independent trustee to the UK master trust, announced last week. Gubler helped set up the Pensions Administration Standards Association and has been its chair since 2019.
Dalriada hires Fawkes as professional trustee
Dalriada Trustees has appointed Barbara Fewkes as a professional trustee in its Glasgow office, the company announced this week.
She joins from Barnett Waddingham, where she was a partner and scheme actuary. She has worked in the pensions sector for more than 20 years, and is a fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and a member of the Law Society of Scotland’s pensions sub-committee.
Senior appointments at Barnett Waddingham
Barnett Waddingham has made several senior promotions across risk, pensions, investment, insurance and benefits consulting.
The new appointments include Alex Toney, who is now a partner in the employer consulting business. He specialises in large contract-based and trust-based DC schemes and has worked at Barnett Waddingham since 2007.
Collette Graham has been appointed partner in the pension administration unit. She leads the company’s client relationship managers. She joined the firm in 2019 and has previously worked for in-house and third-party administrators.
Mark Norquay has been promoted to partner in actuarial consulting. He joined Barnett Waddingham in 2004 and works across the firm’s DB pension scheme areas, including overseeing the development of Insight, the firm’s online dashboard for trustees.
Vivienne Maclure is now a partner in the insurance and longevity consulting practice, where she has worked since 2002. She is also the secretary for the Continuous Mortality Investigation.
