LGPS Central names leaders for public and private assets

LGPS Central, which is responsible for £26.4bn of pooled assets from eight local authority schemes, has appointed new heads for its private and public assets operations.

The positions have been filled by internal appointments following a “rigorous interview process”, the pool said.

Nadeem Hussain is now head of private markets and Mark Davies is head of public markets, assisting the pool’s chief investment officer Gordon Ross on long-term strategy.

Hussain has been with LGPS Central since 2020, while Davies joined in 2018 from Derbyshire Pension Fund, one of the pool’s partner funds.

Broadstone adds to investment consulting team

Consultancy group Broadstone has hired Andrew Knight-Stephens as a senior investment consulting in its London-based investment consulting team.

He joins from the British Airways Pension Scheme where he was an investment specialist. He has also worked as an investment consultant at Willis Towers Watson and held roles at Mercer and EY.

New partners at Isio

Advisory group Isio has appointed three new partners. Claire Whittaker and James Keclik from the company’s actuarial and consulting team and head of administration Girish Menezes have all been promoted to partner.

Isio said the trio would “play a pivotal role in continuing to bolster Isio’s position as a market disruptor”.

Policy expert joins SPP

The Society of Pension Professionals (SPP) has named Phil Hall as its new head of policy and PR, responsible for increasing the organisation’s output as well as co-ordinating policy and consultation responses.

Hall has a range of policy experience, having worked as a local councillor and with government officials, as well as holding public affairs roles at organisations such as the London Institute of Banking & Finance, the Finance & Leasing Association and the Association of Accounting Technicians.

DCIF’s new chair and vice chair announced

Mark Austin is the new chair of the DC Investment Forum (DCIF), the organisation has announced.

Austin is pensions and insurance executive at Northern Trust in its asset servicing business and chair of Northern Trust’s UK pension scheme. He replaces Baillie Gifford’s Lorna Kennedy, who will remain on the DCIF’s board for a year as immediate past chair.

David Whitehair has been named vice chair of the DCIF. He is director of institutional business for UK DC at Janus Henderson Investors.

Austin said: “The year ahead promises to be pivotal for UK DC. With so much change afoot, we look forward to playing a role in scrutinising and debating the direction of travel, with a particular focus on how DC investment is evolving. After all, along with contribution rates, nothing makes a bigger difference to DC members’ outcomes.”

Aptia hires chief people officer

Administration group Aptia has hired Roopa Abraham Kochhar as chief people officer. Aptia was established last year after private equity company Bain Capital backed a lift-out of Mercer’s pension and benefits administration business.

Kochhar joins from Allianz in Germany where she held various HR leadership roles across the business. Most recently, she was global head of HR and change for Allianz Partners.

In her new role, Aptia said, Kochhar will be responsible for building the company’s people team globally.

Burges Salmon expands Edinburgh team

Law firm Burges Salmon has appointed Mairi Carlin as a professional support lawyer in its Edinburgh-based pensions team.

Carlin most recently worked for the Scottish government, and has also worked at law firms including Pinsent Masons and Brodies where she advised employers and trustees on a range of pension issues. She specialises in public sector pensions.

Burges Salmon has hired several new law professionals to its Scottish pensions team in recent months, including senior lawyer Helen Woodford and solicitors Sophie Kirk and Shannon Wright-Davies.