We hear a great deal about the challenges facing 21st Century Pension Trusteeship and governance but what are the challenges facing us as a Pension Scheme Secretary? As experienced Scheme Secretaries, we have seen the role develop in many ways over the years with an increasing focus on delivering the governance that underpins and facilitates the proper and robust function of the Trustee Board.
Previously, the role of a Pension Scheme Secretary would have traditionally organised Trustee meetings, managed diaries and accurately minuted the discussions. With the closure of many pension schemes to accrual and the resulting impact on traditional in-house pension teams, we are seeing an increasing need for us to fulfil the role of the traditional pensions manager. With greater governance requirements, we are becoming more involved in managing the day to day running of operational matters, ensuring they are dealt with in a timely manner and in line with the annual calendar. Most importantly, we ensure that the Trustee is comfortable and confident in delegating responsibility to us to ensure that regulatory and compliance matters are not missed, whilst our technical knowledge and experience is increasingly being called upon to add input to the strategic decision making of the Board.
A great Pension Scheme Secretary understands and challenges the policies and procedures that are in place to ensure their robustness. Being able to adapt, and support continuous improvements as the world around us evolves, quickly and efficiently is also a key skill.
Outsourced Pension Manager
This pensions management function covers both operational and relationship management. Below is just a small number of areas we look after:
Behind every great Chair is a fabulous Secretary!
Once purely an operational role, our experience, technical knowledge and independence from other advisers enables us to work closely with the Chair, when we can provide guidance and observations as to how a strategic decision can be delivered effectively and efficiently at an operational level. Many strategic decisions faced by a Trustee are technically challenging, and it is vital that the Scheme Secretary has a sound understanding of the challenges faced by the Trustee. An important part of the role is bringing together various stakeholders and diverse points of view. Being a diplomatic communicator is a key requirement of the 21st Century Pension Scheme Secretary.
With the increased focus on governance within the planned Single Code and the introduction of ESOGs and ORAs there are a number of considerations for both the Chair and the Scheme Secretary. Good governance creates a framework to help manage successful outcomes whilst reducing risk. An effective Chair ensures there are clear objectives, clear accountability and that the Board maximises the benefits from the time it has available. This enables us as the Pension Scheme Secretary to deliver a solid service to the Trustee, the Company and the Advisers to help develop a comprehensive, strategic and integrated business plan.
Pi works with a wide range of pension professionals to ensure that we deploy the right approach to meet the needs of both the Trustee and the Company. Our independence, coupled with our people from diverse backgrounds and experience, means that Pi Trustee Executive Services delivers a first class 21st Century Secretariat function. Our team can project manage and deliver specific projects, such as Adviser Review Exercises, Trustee Board Evaluation Services, Effective System of Governance, Member Nominated Trustee exercises, Buy In/Out projects or support with Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP) equalisation.
Nav Donovan is an experienced Scheme Secretary, a member of the Pensions Management Institute and a certified Prince2 practitioner. She has worked on a range of operational and strategic issues including liability management, benefits (risk and voluntary), governance matters and reward. As part of her former role as the UK Pensions and Benefits Manager to Thales UK covering both their Defined Benefit scheme and overseeing the delivery of a suitable solution for auto-enrolment, she managed Schemes from a Company and Trustee perspective.
Is AAF fit for today? What should Trustees be considering? AAF 01/20 reports began appearing in 2007 providing assurance to trustees and the administrator that
Pension scheme data cleansing goes beyond correcting member records. It involves reviewing scheme documents, understanding past decisions and addressing issues that can affect members’ benefits. From a professional trustee’s perspective, this article explores why projects become complex and how expertise, constructive challenge and timely decisions help trustees navigate them.
Good-quality pension scheme data is fundamental to effective governance, compliance and risk management. As systems become increasingly interconnected and AI adoption grows, trustees must understand how data is managed, shared and scrutinised to support better decisions and member outcomes.
If you have any questions or queries about our services, get in touch with our team today.
Contact us on 020 8879 6500 or enquiries@pipg.co.uk
Everyone has different needs, and we support this balance offering true flexibility in how our people manage their time and fully support part time working and a family friendly approach.
We believe in clear and transparent communication and create regular opportunities for internal communication. Our regular business updates and opportunities to input into the business ensures everyone feels part of the team and on the same page at Pi, ensuring our hybrid working model is effective regardless of where you are based.
Nurturing every Pi Person is important to us and we want to ensure everyone has the opportunity for continued professional development by providing the space to do this alongside client commitments. Everyone has an individual Personal Development Plan catered to them, whether they are on the start of their journey with Pi or those looking at ways to transition into the next stage of their careers.
Everyone has the opportunity for a regular development and progression review and everyone has ownership over their own development with input and guidance of senior member of the team where required.
We provide regular opportunities to share knowledge amongst our teams through Lunch Time Learn in sessions and actively encourage involvement and participation into this.
We are an open, friendly and supportive team who thrive in a flexible and autonomous environment. Our people are trusted to get on with things, adding value and individual contribution, whilst maintaining a good work life balance and ideally having fun along the way.
We want to ensure we cultivate our special culture and our focus is to maintain our exceptional engagement levels. We are proud to have been awarded the Sunday Times Best Place to Work for small businesses in 2023 and 2024, and also in 2025 after moving to the medium-sized business category.
Our employee ownership structure is central to our philosophy of making sure every Pi Person is part of our success story, contributing to how we run the business, and sharing in the profits. We know that being successful is not just down to numbers, it’s about our people who all contribute in their unique way to our success and creating a working environment where everyone has a voice.
Amanda is a Board Director of Pi Partnership Group and leads the development of Pi’s services. She works closely with clients, the Pi team and professional advisers to ensure all of Pi’s services meet the changing needs of the pension market and deliver clear value to Pi’s clients.
Amanda has over twenty-five years’ experience in the pensions industry and, as well as ensuring Pi’s services continue to meet the needs of our clients in a rapidly changing pension landscape, is also a member of Pi’s Executive Management Team. She provides specialist project management for clients on a range of services, including adviser selection and review, trustee board assessment and governance design.
As well as being a Fellow of the Pensions Management Institute (PMI) and Chair of the PMI London Group, Amanda holds PMI certificates in Pensions Automatic Enrolment and DC Governance, was a past Prince2 practitioner and is a Certified Risk Management Practitioner.
What do you most enjoy about your role: Successfully delivering complex projects and creating a happy team environment.
Interests outside work: Travel, theatre and as part of Abundance London helping create beautiful spaces in urban settings.
Top achievement to date: Competing in the 2005/06 Round the World Clipper race.
