Northern LGPS has announced the appointment of Elizabeth Renshaw-Ames as its chair and Paras Anand as its first chief executive, responsible for leading the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) asset pool.
Subject to regulatory approval, the appointments will establish the leadership of one of the largest and highest-performing local government pension pools in England and Wales.
Northern LGPS manages the investment activities of its three partner funds – Greater Manchester Pension Fund, Merseyside Pension Fund, and West Yorkshire Pension Fund – under a single, professionally governed structure. In total, the three funds have more than £63bn in assets under management.
Renshaw-Ames brings substantial senior governance, asset management and large pension scheme experience to the role. She has previously chaired the Aviva Master Trust and consultancy group Barnett Waddingham, as well as having led the HSBC Bank (UK) Pension Trust as chief executive.
Renshaw-Ames said: “The Northern LGPS has an exceptional track record, delivering consistent investment returns, significant savings and sustained investment into the UK economy over the past decade.
“My priority will be to ensure that Northern LGPS will continue to build on those foundations with the governance, financial discipline and strategic clarity that an organisation of this scale and responsibility demands, particularly in this changing regulatory landscape.
“I look forward to working closely with Paras and his leadership team to ensure we continue to lead, and deliver, for our members, our regional partner funds and the wider sector.”
Anand, coming in as chief executive, was most recently chief investment officer at Artemis Investment Management. Prior to this, he held multiple investment roles, including chief investment officer for Asia Pacific at Fidelity International.
Anand said: “I am delighted to be appointed chief executive of Northern LGPS. The Northern LGPS Pool has established an outstanding record and I am committed to ensuring we continue on this path with the governance standards and strategic focus that our members and partner funds rightly expect.
“We are at an exciting juncture in the evolution of the pensions sector in the UK, where the organisations tasked with safeguarding the retirement incomes of millions of workers have the opportunity to play a significant role in how the overall investment industry in the UK develops.
“I am ambitious about seeing Northern at the leading edge of this while keeping responsible investment, long-term value creation and the financial security of our members at the heart of everything we do.”
All six remaining LGPS asset pools must establish an authorised management unit with appropriate executive appointments as part of the government’s ‘Fit for the Future’ reforms to the sector.
This article was initially published by Pensions Expert’s sister title LAPF Investments.
