Europe

EUROPE - Alan Pickering has been elected chairman of the European Federation for Retirement Provision (EFRP), the umbrella group for European national pension associations.

UK - Hermes Pensions Management, the fund manager owned by British Telecom, is optimistic about the issue of directors pay, according to Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS).

UK - In a review of its investment strategy, the £2.3bn Boots Pension Scheme has moved all its assets from equities into bonds.

UK - Hermes Focus Asset Management (HFAM) has introduced the new Focus Fund for quoted small companies.

UK - Two UK agms and one egm are worthy of note in the week November 5-9, according to corporate governance specialist Institutional Shareholder Services.

UK - Sir Adrian Cadbury, famous for the 1992 Cadbury Code on corporate governance, has been awarded one of three inaugural International Corporate Governance Awards from the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) in recognition of his achievements...

UK - Anite Group, an IT services business has appointed employee benefits provider Gissings to provide full services support for its group personal pension, group life and healthcare plans.

UK - The first witness called on Thursday in the trial between Unilever and Merrill Lynch Investment Management (MLIM) was questioned on whether the trustees should share responsibility.

UK - British insurer Prudential has registered a 22% increase in its corporate pensions sales figures over the last nine months, according to the firm's third quarter new business results.

UK - Old Mutual Asset Managers (OMAM) has introduced a new fund focusing on the UK mid-cap sector.