The latest hires, promotions and appointments for the week ending 8 May 2026.
SEI has appointed Chris Roberts and Azka Ali to the board of directors for its master trust, while Allan Course has retired as chair of the board after 15 years. Roberts has taken over as chair.
Course joined the SEI Master Trust as a director in 2007 and became chair in 2016.
David Snowdon, head of SEI Master Trust, said: “We are tremendously grateful to Allan for his dedication to the master trust and its members, and for the contributions he has made during his tenure on the board and as chair of trustees.”
Chris Roberts is a former managing director at Dalriada Trustees and has 25 years of experience in various trustee, consulting, and management roles. He said: “[The SEI Master Trust] has strong foundations, an experienced trustee board, and a clear focus on members. I look forward to building on this platform, maintaining high standards of governance, and continuing to drive positive outcomes for members as they save for and move through retirement.”
Azka Ali is an actuary and professional trustee at Vidett, and works across defined contribution (DC), defined benefit (DB), and collective DC schemes.
Groves switches PIC for L&G
Legal & General (L&G) has appointed former Pension Insurance Corporation investment chief Rob Groves as its new chief investment officer for its Institutional Retirement business. This unit oversees L&G’s pension risk transfer arm, which has £93bn in assets under management.
In his new role, Groves will lead on global investment strategy and portfolio management for L&G’s Institutional Retirement business, the company said in a statement.
He takes over from Gareth Mee, who became chief executive officer in December 2025.
Mee said: “Institutional Retirement combines deep pension risk transfer expertise with a disciplined investment engine built to operate at scale, and we are very pleased to welcome Rob to lead this next phase.
“I’ve known Rob for many years and have long admired his capability as a chief investment officer. He brings extensive experience of running large insurer portfolios, and his appointment strengthens our ability to grow the business while continuing to deploy pension capital into long‑term investments that generate secure income for the pensions we look after and support the wider economy.”
DLA Piper’s Swynnerton moves to Arc
Arc Pensions Law has appointed Matthew Swynnerton as a partner in its London office with effect from 1 June 2026.
He joins from DLA Piper and brings 30 years of experience. He is currently chair of the Association of Pension Lawyers, and has served on its main committee since 2022.
In addition, Swynnerton has selected to join a group of 13 industry experts supporting the UK government in developing statutory guidance for trustees in relation to their fiduciary duty and investment decision-making in the context of long-term and systemic matters.
He is also a member of the Pension Scams Industry Group and helped draft key legal sections of the Combatting Pension Scams Code of Good Practice, as well as working directly with policymakers.
Arc managing partner Anna Copestake said Swynnerton’s “exceptional experience and standing in the market, combined with his deep involvement in industry initiatives, will be invaluable to our clients and to the continued growth of the firm”.
People’s appoints first chief legal officer
People’s Partnership, the provider for the People’s Pension master trust, has hired Peter McCusker as its first chief legal officer.
He joins from Pinsent Masons, where he was a corporate partner in the law firm’s London office. He previously spent 11 years at Royal London.
Patrick Heath-Lay, chief executive officer at People’s Partnership, said: “Peter’s depth of legal and governance expertise, combined with his pragmatic approach, will be a real asset to the organisation at a pivotal point in our growth against a backdrop of pensions industry reform.”
Chate adds to Muse’s outsourcing team
Adam Chate has joined Muse Advisory as a senior consultant within its outsourced pensions management team. He has more than 20 years’ experience, including 15 years in in-house pensions roles at 3i Group and Barclays.
Kate Maloney, client director at Muse, said the appointment followed the promotions of Daniel Jacobson, Katherine Milton, and Ellen Ratcliffe to principals within its outsourced pensions management team, “forming a strong leadership group to further the expansion of our service as companies and schemes look increasingly to outsource part or all of the pensions management function”.
Penfold boosts accounting service
Pension provider Penfold has brought in Sam Horner as head of accounting partnerships, responsible for supporting accountants incorporating pensions into their offerings “without adding complexity”.
Horner has more than 20 years of experience in the accounting industry, including 10 years focused on software-as-a-service solutions for accountants and small businesses.
He said: “Too often, pensions are seen as complex or disconnected from the rest of their services, which creates unnecessary friction. My goal is to change that – giving firms the tools, support and confidence to seamlessly integrate pensions into their offering, strengthen client relationships, and ultimately deliver a better financial future for their clients and their employees.”
New faces on ABI board
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has added four senior insurance executives to its board. Laura Mason, CEO for L&G’s retail division has joined after her company became an ABI member earlier this year.
Pension Insurance Corporation’s interim CEO Dominic Veney has also joind the ABI board, alongside AIG UK boss Chris Rash and Richard Washington, CEO of Bupa UK Insurance.
