This week's pension industry movers and shakers: including the IGG, IFoA, The Link Group as well as Aon’s buyout and wind-up services in the UK.
IGG appoints two new directors
Independent Governance Group (IGG) has appointed new directors Nicole Mullock and Aziz Jalil to expand its talent pool.
Nicole Mullock (pictured) joins the team as a trustee director and brings with her over 20 years’ experience in the pensions industry including senior roles at GSK, Waters Corporation and Buck.
In her new role working with IGG clients, she aims to build strong relationships with trustees and sponsors, establishing clear strategic goals and ensuring the delivery of high quality governance and risk management.
Associate director Aziz Jalil brings with him 25 years’ experience from across pensions, insurance, banking and asset management industry. Jalil has previously held leadership positions at Credit Suisse, Mercer, Russell Investments, KPMG, Aviva, and Athora.
At IGG, Jalil will work alongside IGG’s team of experts to help schemes develop and achieve their objectives while mitigating risks that they face.
The pair are the most recent senior hires for IGG, and their appointments follow the recent hiring of trustee directors Joanne Holden and Stuart Travers. IGG is continuing to expand its client offerings, with more announcement expected before the end of this year.
Andrew Bradshaw, chief executive officer of IGG, said: “IGG has gone from strength to strength this year, and I’m pleased to welcome Nicole and Aziz to the fold. We are committed to providing schemes with best in class trusteeship and governance services, and with their wealth and range of experience I’m confident that Aziz and Nicole will be an asset to the team.”
Link Group appoints growth leader for UK Retirement Solutions
The Link Group has appointed Danny Meehan as growth leader for its UK retirement solutions business. Meehan will assume responsibility for all aspects of the team’s growth, as part of Link Group’s investment in transforming the UK pensions market and scaling its business.
He joins Link Group from Cushon, following four years as proposition and development director, where he played a role in the digital leadership and development of the master trust and its member-led propositions.
Meehan has held senior positions at KPMG, Capita, Willis Towers Watson and Cushon – amounting to 17 years’ experience in the financial services and professional services markets.
Meehan will oversee Link Group’s continued expansion into the UK pension and retirement solutions market as part of a coordinated strategy to drive growth and lead strategic relationships with clients, trustees, government, industry associations and advisers.
Richard Wilson, general manager of UK Retirement Solutions, said: “Danny is a talented strategist, natural consultant and highly engaging leader and we look forward to working together with him to drive the next era in the growth of Link Group and development of the broader UK pensions market. We believe the industry needs transformation and Link Group has the talent and technology to help our clients and the wider industry to simplify member experiences and create more choice in how members plan for better retirement outcomes.”
New commercial lead appointed for Aon’s buyout and wind-up services
Susannah Calder has been appointed as commercial lead for Aon’s Buyout and Wind-up Services in the UK.
Calder is a partner in Aon’s UK retirement team and was previously the trustee retirement consulting lead for Aon’s Leeds and Manchester offices.
In her new role, she will be joining a 12-strong team focused on helping pension schemes that are contemplating the journey to buyout and wind-up.
Martin Bird, senior partner & head of risk settlement at Aon, said: “We expect buyout and wind-up to be key growth areas over the next few years as more and more schemes actively engage with insurance solutions and need appropriate support.
“Susannah’s hands-on experience of taking her clients on the buy-in to buyout journey, and her knowledge of the professional trustee landscape make her ideally placed to lead the team. We are very pleased to be welcoming her into this role.”
New president appointed to IFoA
The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) has announced that Kalpana Shah has begun her presidential term, taking over from Matt Saker.
She aims to help the IFoA embark on a cultural transformation, and raise the profile of both actuaries and the organisation.
Shah has been part of the presidential team for the past year as president-elect.
Kartina Tahir Thomson will now replace her as the new president-elect.
Stephen Mann, chief executive officer at IFoA CEO, said:“I would like to congratulate Kalpana Shah as she becomes the next IFoA President. In her role as president-elect, she has already demonstrated her commitment to providing a positive experience for our members and listening to their thoughts and ideas on the future direction of the organisation and the profession. I look forward to working with her over her Presidential term to deliver on our strategy and ensure a strong future for the IFoA.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank both Matt Saker as he moves to the role of immediate past president and Louise Pryor who ends her three-year term on the IFoA Presidential team. And I extend a warm welcome to Kartina Tahir Thomson as she officially becomes President-elect.”
