Appointments: LPFA, PIC, Broadstone, Eversheds, Aptia

The London Pensions Fund Authority (LPFA) has appointed Carol Campbell as its new director of governance, risk and legal. She will take up her role from mid-April, the local authority scheme said in a statement.

Campbell is currently interim head of legal at Lothian Pension Fund, a local authority fund serving the Edinburgh region in Scotland. She has also worked at the City of Edinburgh Council.

LPFA chief executive officer Jo Donnelly said: “We are delighted that Carol is joining the LPFA. She brings a wealth of governance and legal expertise, and her background across local government, the Local Government Pension Scheme [LGPS] and regulated financial services will play a crucial role in strengthening our assurance and risk capabilities. Her experience, judgement and commitment to public accountability will be invaluable as we continue to embed our corporate structure and deliver strong outcomes for our members and stakeholders.”

Campbell added: “I look forward to supporting strong governance as the LGPS continues to evolve and working with colleagues across the organisation to deliver excellent outcomes for our members and stakeholders.”

Patel joins PIC board

With Pension Insurance Corporation’s (PIC) acquisition by Athora set to be completed next week, the specialist pension insurer has appointed Hitesh Patel to its board as an independent non-executive director. He has also joined the board of its holding company, PIC Group.

He will chair PIC’s Investment and Origination Committee and join the Nomination, Conflicts, and Board Risk committees.

Patel is a former CEO of life assurance company Lucida and currently chairs insurance company Canopius Group’s investment committee, alongside a number of other board positions in financial services. He has also worked on the development of new accounting measures and the Solvency UK reforms.

David Weymouth, chairman of PIC, said Patel’s experience and perspective “will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen our governance and oversight, fulfilling PIC’s purpose of paying the pensions of our current and future policyholders”.

Patel added: “PIC’s purposeful approach, and the need to maintain strong governance to achieve it over the coming decades, strongly aligns with my values. I’m excited to work alongside David and the boards as the company continues to secure the pensions of increasing numbers of defined benefit pension scheme members.”

Bacon switches BW for Broadstone

Consultancy group Broadstone has hired John Bacon as principal of projects and endgame administration. He joins from Barnett Waddingham, where he worked on the administration team supporting organisations including the Pension Protection Fund, Clara Pensions, and Pension Insurance Corporation.

Bacon has previously worked at Mercer and Atkin & Co in various roles.

In his new role, Broadstone said Bacon would help the firm enhance its administration capabilities with a particular focus on endgame transactions such as bulk annuities.

His appointment follows that of Paul Noone, who recently joined Broadstone as head of operations.

Noone said: “As schemes focus on long-term security for members, they need excellent levels of expertise with exacting standards of project delivery. John brings an extensive track record of leading challenging administration projects, and we are delighted to welcome him to the team as we continue to provide our clients with a consistently high-quality service.”

Eversheds adds pensions pair

Simon Borham and Craig Looker have joined law firm Eversheds Sutherland as partners in its UK pensions team, based in London and Leeds respectively.

Borham joins from Linklaters, where he worked on a wide range of projects for large and complex schemes, sponsoring employers, insurers and asset managers, Eversheds Sutherland said. He is also involved with several trade bodies advising on legal issues, including the Association of Pension Lawyers, Pensions UK, and the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.

Looker has rejoined Eversheds from DLA Piper, and has more than 17 years of specialist pensions experience across defined benefit schemes and the public sector.

Jeremy Goodwin, head of pensions at Eversheds Sutherland, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Simon to Eversheds Sutherland and equally thrilled to welcome Craig back at this exciting stage of the firm’s growth. Simon brings rare experience across investment and end‑game matters, strengthening our capability in areas where client demand is rapidly increasing. Craig’s outstanding technical reputation and leadership experience also make his return especially significant.”

Steel moves to Aptia 

Administration provider Aptia has appointed Sarah Steel as head of market relations. She joins from the NatWest Cushon master trust where she was director of corporate relationships.

Steel has also worked at Aon and Hymans Robertson, as well as running her own financial wellbeing company.

In her new role, Aptia said Steel would lead its engagement with a range of stakeholders as it continues to evolve its services to pension schemes, following its recent entry into the consulting space.

Steel said: “Aptia is at a truly exciting point in its journey, especially as we expand our capabilities into consulting… We need to be clear, connected, and genuinely invested in the impact we make – ensuring the market sees not only what Aptia delivers today, but the ambition and expertise that are fundamental to enhancing the member experience in future.”