Ensuring effective governance in times of stress: COVID-19 and beyond

More details coming soon

- How to get the best out of a bulk annuity transaction process
- The effective governance needed to make effective decisions
- How to streamline processes for future transactions
- Q&A: a chance to ask your questions to PIC and the Co-op Pension Scheme to learn from their experience

In our keynote session, Paul McGlone and Vanessa Jaeger from Aon, will provide attendees with an overview of the cyber threats facing pension schemes and guidance on what actions trustees and pension managers should be taking to minimise these risks.

The session will address a broad range of issues including understanding and establishing your risk profile, the role of trustees, the reliance on and assessment of third party providers, preparing an incident response plans, regulator expectations and the merits of cyber insurance. It will also provide a framework to bring all of this together into a manageable cyber policy.

What is the real value for money proposition? Are MTs a flawless solution for the industry?

What are the risks to existing trustees in terms of maintaining their independence and obligations to scheme holders?

With various providers now offering Master Trusts services. What are the key considerations for schemes considering working with a Master Trust service provider?

Considering the impact of COVID-19 including the successes, challenges and what the future holds at DC and Master Trust developments.

Today and long into the future, most UK households will feel the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. With many experiencing dramatic changes in their circumstances as a result of unemployment, furloughing on reduced income, or loss of self-employed earnings, the pandemic has shone a light on the need for both short and longer term savings.

In this session, Jo Phillips will share insights on UK household income, debt, consumption and savings behaviours before and during Covid-19, and discuss the savings tools and approaches that could support people as they look to recover and rebuild financial resilience. Examples include the sidecar savings model currently being trialed by Nest Insight. Join this talk to find out more about the trial and the unit’s upcoming research.

A talk focused on ESG and sustainability in Master Trusts

Corporates often see one of the benefits of moving to Master Trust as a reduction in the governance burden. But are there risks to a transfer and forget governance strategy?

Hymans Robertson increasingly see their corporate clients setting up Governance Committees to oversee Master Trust participation, holding the provider to account and in some cases, contemplating the little chartered water of a Master Trust to Master Trust transfer.

In this talk they explore how this newer type of DC Governance body differs from the traditional single-trust body and our experiences of how these Committees work in practice.

TBC

A talk focussing on the good and “not so good” aspects we have seen in terms of the legal documentation and process when transferring a scheme to a DC Master Trust.

How Robust has the Master Trust model faired. Have any cracks started to show?

The Pensions Ombudsman (TPO) will be introducing and promoting their volunteer programme and encouraging professionals in the pensions industry to sign up. The volunteer programme is well established and currently has around 200 volunteers from across the pensions industry. Volunteers are a major asset to the TPO. They play an integral role in helping the TPO to resolve informally complaints from the public about their personal pension.

There are a number of benefits to volunteering including, excellent networking opportunities and career development prospects. The training volunteers receive can be used towards their CPD hours. Firms may also incorporate the TPO volunteer programme within their Corporate Social Reasonability (CSR) and/or pro-bono initiatives. For more information, please visit TPO's website.

Increasing the relevance of retirement savings by bringing them into the same picture as an individual’s current accounts and credit card debt, mortgage and property value.

Helping your members make better financial decisions for their today and their future.

Case study on the recent launch of Mercer Money and its impact for employers and employees.

More details coming soon

Pensions and Cyber Risk, Jim Gee - Partner and National Head of Forensic Services at Crowe UK LLP and Visiting Professor and Chair of the Centre for Counter Fraud Studies at University of Portsmouth
Topical DC issues – Callum Stewart, DC Investment Consultant and Responsible Investment Specialist at Hymans Robertson

-Essential Jargon
-Parties involved in pension schemes
-Type of Trustees

The “Chinese puzzle”
No, not Covid (or at least, not just Covid) but “May you live in interesting times”.
On the assumption we think there will be a future (certain political leaders seem quite keen to pick a fight at the moment), how should we save for our future retirement?
We face increasing volatility in world investment markets along with uncertainty in healthcare, employment and politics. How do we protect our members against:
• Market volatility driven by Covid
• Trump v China (and anyone who isn't Trump) antagonism
• The decimation of the hospitality and retail sectors
• A no-deal Brexit
• Potential pressure on interest rates
• Not to mention tax policies?
But before we decide to put all our money under the mattress, what would be the downside of no exposure to markets and can we afford to take that risk?

What can we learn from historic volatility without just locking ourselves away for a few years?