Movers and shakers w/e 26 January 2024

John Chilman to step down from Railpen role

Railpen’s chief executive John Chilman is to retire from his position next year, the multi-employer pension scheme has announced.

Chilman has been involved with the £34bn scheme since 2007 when he joined the trustee board. He was chair of the investment committee between 2010 and 2014 and chaired the trustee board between 2014 and 2019 when he became chief executive.

During that time, Chilman oversaw the internalisation of Railpen’s investment management operations and the development of the organisation’s fiduciary capability.

In a statement, Railpen said these developments had “helped to ensure that Railpen has continued to deliver value for members at a time when pensions are subject to ever-increasing regulation and change”.

Railpen chair Mike Craston hailed Chilman’s role in helping to “transform” the organisation “both operationally and culturally”.

“John’s energy and enthusiasm have united colleagues behind a common purpose, and he leaves Railpen in a much stronger position than when he and I joined,” Craston added. “My focus now is on the difficult task of filling John’s shoes.”

Chilman will remain chair of the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association’s policy board and a trustee of the Pensions Policy Institute.

Key governance appointment at Barnett Waddingham

Consultancy group Barnett Waddingham has appointed Inderpreet Kaur Bedi to its governance and secretariat team.

The appointment was “pivotal”, according to Barnett Waddingham, as it reflected a strengthening of the firm’s governance framework as it continues to grow.

Kaur Bedi has held senior governance roles at listed companies in the UK and India in the past 11 years. She was also the first chairperson of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India’s overseas chapter.

Paul Jayson, partner and head of governance and secretariat at Barnett Waddingham said: “Anyone with governance duties has seen the burden on them steadily increase and our mission is to make their lives easier. A combination of experienced, knowledgeable people like Inderpreet and embracing modern, efficient technology are instrumental to making this a reality.”

New chair for NextGen Pensions

Matt Dodds is to chair NextGen Pensions, a volunteer group focused on diversity and inclusion issues.

Dodds – chief growth officer at Capita Pensions Solutions – is a co-founder of NextGen and was previously vice-chair. He succeeds Caroline Escott, who chaired the organisation for two years.

Victoria Panormo, head of client relationships at Aviva Workplace Savings, has taken over as vice chair, having been on NextGen’s main committee since 2020.

Dodds said his focus would be on “developing more opportunities to give fresh talent a seat at the table, while seeking to collaborate with an increasing number of companies that want to help build a smarter, wiser, more productive, innovative and creative pensions industry”.

Muse Advisory promotes two to director roles

Rosanne Corbett and Jo Fellowes have been promoted to the position of director at consultancy group Muse Advisory.

Corbett has worked at the company for 14 years and leads Muse’s governance and risk management business. Fellowes joined in 2015 and is a senior consultant.

Meanwhile, Muse has also appointed Kate Maloney as client director. Maloney was most recently pensions manager at Bank of America, and previously held the same position at the Financial Conduct Authority.