I have over 20 years’ pensions experience and act as lead partner for many of Sackers’ largest clients.
My practice is primarily acting for trustees of occupational pension schemes, including DB, DC and hybrid arrangements. I have broad experience across all issues affecting trustees and sponsors, including valuation negotiations and solutions, benefit changes and closure, bulk transfers and buy-ins. My specialisms include advising schemes with novel benefit structures (DC with DB underpin in various forms) and groups of the Electricity Supply Pension Scheme.
I am also one of the firm’s Partner Champions for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, an Ambassador with the Diversity Project and lead the firm’s involvement with the Female Forum.
Recent experience
- advising trustees in relation to options for their scheme in light of a distressed sponsor covenant, including possible DB consolidator, asset-backed solutions and ultimately a “PPF+” buy-in
- supporting trustees in relation to buy-ins including the £1.8bn combined buy-in of the United Utilities Pension Scheme and the United Utilities plc Group of the ESPS
- providing advice to trustees asked to amend the scheme to provide for career average benefits for future service
- supporting trustees and providing advice in relation to multiple forms of contingent covenant support as part of the funding package following a recent valuation
- advising on the outsourcing of DB scheme administration from an in-house team to a third party administrator
- advising trustees on the closure of the DC section of their scheme and the bulk transfer of members to a master trust
- ongoing strategic support and analysis to schemes approaching the “endgame” including review of historic documentation, identifying potential blocks to buy-out and solutions
- consolidating and updating schemes’ trust deed and rules, including in one case the creation of new and bespoke documentation for a new benefit section.
Qualified: 2003, England and Wales
Joined Sackers: 2003
Became partner: 2011
