Latest articles from Sophia Imeson

Robo-trustees: Would you welcome one on your board?

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Any other business: For those feeling uneasy about the idea of sitting next to a Star Wars-style droid at a quarterly meeting, you can rest assured we are not likely to witness the rise of the robo-trustee anytime soon. 

Shipbuilding scheme latest to invest in private debt

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The Shipbuilding Industries Pension Scheme has made a £50m commitment to private debt, as investors increase their exposure to this asset class in the search for yield.

May's promise to protect pensions lacks concrete solutions

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Theresa May has pledged to stop executives who try to “line their own pockets” by putting pension schemes at risk, but questions over resourcing and legislative issues remain. 

Uncharted waters: What lies ahead for LGPS pools?

When former chancellor George Osborne made clear the government’s intention to create six British wealth funds, the prospect of pooling made quite a splash.

Unilever forks out £600m to tackle £1.2bn DB deficit

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Unilever has contributed £600m to its scheme, after an actuarial valuation revealed a £1.2bn deficit. Meanwhile, the trustees have taken steps to ensure they can act quickly should there be a significant corporate event.

Southampton uni's DB closure proposal poorly timed, experts say

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The University of Southampton is consulting on the closure of its defined benefit scheme for non-academic staff, a move experts have said is not well timed given current scrutiny of senior pay packages at universities.

DB closure at Southampton University would hit lowest paid staff, say unions

Unions have warned that proposed pension changes at the University of Southampton will cause low-paid staff to lose thousands of pounds in retirement.

Oxford University Press scheme invests in stressed debt

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Trustees of the Oxford University Press Group Pension Scheme have made a new allocation to stressed debt, an asset class that is best suited to "fleet of foot" pension funds, experts say.

Schemes can reap benefits of staying in touch with retired members

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Any other business: From crosswords to competitions, there are a variety of ways in which trustees can jazz up their newsletters to retired members, but how much communication with the pensioner population is actually necessary?

CPI, admin and Mums: Top 5 DB and derisking stories from 2017

Year in review: Funding and liability management took centre stage during 2017, as the debate over defined benefit pension scheme sustainability and member protection ramped up.