The latest hires, promotions and appointments for the week ending 1 May 2026.
Aretas Trustees has appointed Simran Kaur as a trustee director. She joins the professional trustee firm from PwC, where she worked for more than 13 years supporting sponsors and trustees on strategy development.
Kaur has also worked in-house at multiple pension schemes and has been involved in superfund transactions.
Nadeem Ladha, partner at Aretas, said Kaur’s experience “will be of real value to the schemes we look after, as well as their members and sponsors”.
Kaur added: “I am really excited to be joining Aretas Trustees and working alongside such an experienced and well-regarded team in a vibrant market. I look forward to supporting schemes and sponsors in shaping clear strategies and achieving better outcomes for members.”
Vassiliades takes up pro trustee role
BESTrustees has recruited Danny Vassiliades as a professional trustee. He joins from XPS where he worked for more than 18 years as a scheme actuary and corporate adviser.
Ann Rigby, chair of BESTrustees, said the hire “underlines our objective of growing our business and maintaining the extremely high quality of client service”.
Rigby added: “He has a fantastic reputation from his years as a client-facing consultant at Punter Southall and XPS – and we know that because we have worked with him on more than one occasion. I have no doubt his style of working will fit right in with us.”
Vassiliades added: “There is always so much going on in pensions trusteeship and never more so than now. BESTrustees has a fantastic name in the industry for being completely independent, which really appeals to me. They also have some exceptional people in their ranks, and I am really looking forward to starting work with them.”
New DC hire at XPS
Meanwhile, XPS Group has moved to strengthen its defined contribution (DC) team with the appointment of Callum Stewart as DC investment partner. The company said the move was in response to growing demand for DC advice.
Stewart was previously head of investment strategy and proposition at Standard Life. In his new role, XPS said, he will work with trustees, employers and DC asset managers in investment, regulation, and member outcomes issues.
Sophia Singleton, head of DC at XPS, said: “The DC market is going through a major transition, and I am delighted that we have been able to attract someone with Callum’s experience and expertise to help take us to the next stage of our development. Callum will play a key role in helping our clients adapt to changing member needs, consolidation in the market and increasing regulatory scrutiny.”
Hallam swaps Canada Life for Eversheds
Eversheds Sutherland has expanded its insurance team with the appointment of Helen Hallam as a partner in the firm’s London office.
She joins from Canada Life’s in-house team, where she worked on bulk annuity deals as well as other insurance-led corporate finance transactions. She has previously worked for Hogan Lovells.
Martin Mankabady, partner and global co-head of the insurance group at Eversheds Sutherland, said Hallam’s hire “aligns with significant growth across the pension de-risking market, which is expected to see transaction values reach £70bn per year in the UK”.
Mankabady added: “Helen brings a highly valued perspective from having operated at the heart of a major insurer, advising on transactions that demand clarity of judgement, technical expertise and a strong appreciation of commercial realities.”
PASA strengthens board with EQ’s Watson
EQ Retirement Solutions chief executive officer Duncan Watson has joined the board of the Pensions Administration Standards Association (PASA) as a non-executive director.
He has more than 30 years of experience in pensions and financial services, including senior roles at Equiniti and Aon Hewitt. He is also a fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.
David Fairs, chair of PASA, said: “Pensions administration is now firmly recognised as central to the successful delivery of pensions, with growing expectations from regulators, trustees and members.
“Duncan’s appointment reflects this shift. He brings deep operational expertise, strategic insight and a clear commitment to raising standards across the industry. His experience will be invaluable as PASA continues to support earlier, more informed engagement between trustees and administrators, and to ensure administration is consistently represented at the top table.”
Wiles to lead transitions team at Aon
Jenny Wiles has joined Aon as UK investment head of transitions within its investment team. She joins from Willis Towers Watson, where she held a similar role, helping pension schemes and institutional investors with investment transition projects.
In her new role, Aon said Wiles would oversee the team’s work supporting institutions with complex investment-related transitions, including buy-in and buyout activity.
Steve Garner, partner at Aon, said: “Jenny brings deep specialist expertise in transitions and investment operations, along with a strong track record of delivering complex projects under pressure. As managing transition risk at critical moments remains a key focus for institutional investors, this capability is more important than ever.”
WTW boosts Scottish pensions teams
WTW has made several appointments and announced promotions in its Scotland-based retirement and pensions outsourcing teams.
Heather Wright, James Cassidy and Lindsay Cassidy have all joined WTW as retirement data and project managers, based in Edinburgh. Wright joins from an in-house scheme while the others join from Aptia.
Andrew Mills and Lynne Campbell are new members of the governance and pensions solutions team in Glasgow.
Glasgow-based Paul Whelan has been promoted to a leadership role in WTW’s retirement team as it looks to grow its presence across Scotland. Laura Martin has been appointed scheme actuary to a multi-billion-pound WTW client.
Elsewhere, Ross McIntosh has been promoted to a new role helping to develop WTW’s artificial intelligence capabilities.
