The latest hires, promotions and appointments for the week ending 17 July 2026.
Brendan McCafferty has been reappointed as chair of Nest for a further two years, from 31 January 2027. He has been in the role for nearly five years, having begun as chair in February 2022.
He has overseen the master trust’s growth from 11 million to more than 14 million members, while its assets under management have increased from £24bn to over £60bn.
Torsten Bell, the pensions minister, announced the reappointment this week saying: “Nest plays a vital role in helping millions of working people across the UK build financial security for retirement. Under Brendan’s leadership, Nest has strengthened its position at the centre of our pension landscape. I look forward to working with him to ensure that remains the case in the years ahead.”
McCafferty added: “Nest has an important role in helping low and moderate earners build financial security for later life, and I look forward to supporting its continued growth and purpose of building financial peace of mind for all.”
Butler to lead Hymans’ corporate advice offering
Steve Butler has joined Hymans Robertson Personal Wealth (HRPW) as its new head of corporate, responsible for growing the firm’s services in providing financial wellbeing and retirement support in the workplace.
He joins from Pension Potential, a digital at-retirement guidance platform, and has held senior roles at firms including Punter Southall and Punter Southall Aspire, where he was CEO until 2024.
Julie Hammerton, head of personal wealth at Hymans Robertson, said: “Steve’s appointment will help us build on our strong client relationships and established proposition, enabling more employers to deliver practical support that improves financial wellbeing and confidence across their workforces.”
Butler added: “Employers are increasingly looking for practical ways to support better outcomes for their workforce, particularly as the pensions and retirement landscape becomes more complex. I’m looking forward to working with the team to keep building practical, accessible support that helps people make better decisions and feel more confident about their financial future.”
Pardoe moves to Aon retirement team
Aon has hired Anthony Pardoe as a partner within its UK retirement team. The firm said Pardoe would lead on its data solutions work, including supporting complex projects such as buy-in to buyout data cleansing and benefit and GMP rectification.
Susan Hoare, partner and specialist solutions lead in the UK for Aon, said the appointment “reflects the momentum in our data solutions team, which is one of the fastest-growing areas of our retirement business”.
“As clients face increasing complexity across pensions data, the ability to deliver insight-led solutions has never been more important,” Hoare added.
Pardoe joins from Aptia where he led the firm’s GMP equalisition work. He has also worked for administrators including Capita, MyCSP and Equiniti, and was a co-founder of technology firm Intellica.
Cottrell promoted in Quantum’s Cardiff office
Consultancy firm Quantum Advisory has promoted Adam Cottrell to principal consultant in its head office in Cardiff.
Cottrell joined the company in 2011 and works as a scheme actuary and risk transfer specialist for corporate clients. He is also a member of the Endgame Perspectives Group and co-leads their workstream for small pension schemes.
Joanne Eynon, partner at Quantum, commented: “Our success as a firm depends on the quality of our people and we are pleased to be able to recognise their achievements and support them as their career evolves. Adam’s promotion is a demonstration of how we grow our talent from within the firm from the moment they join.”
