United Kingdom

UK leisure giant Bass is to transfer £1bn worth of pension fund assets to a new Bass Brewers scheme in August. The move follows the sale of its brewing arm to Belgium-based Interbrew last year.

UK based Northumbrian Water Group's £430m pension scheme will decide on both stakeholder and additional voluntary contribution scheme providers at a management meeting in mid April.

Scottish Widows Investment Partnership's property team has won two awards at this years Standard & Poor's UK Investment Funds Awards.

London based asset management house, Morley Fund Management, has hired two analysts for its biotechnology and healthcare research team.

UK-based employee benefits consultants Michael Kirk & Partners has captured two further pension administration contracts for occupational schemes, and has replaced rival's William M Mercer and Axa Sun Life in the process.

UK-based private equity research firm Almeida Capital has appointed former director general of the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF), Ann Robinson, as a non-executive director.

UK pension trustees are holding off from winding-up because the equalisation of guaranteed minimum payments (GMPs) remains unresolved, according to industry experts.

UK local authority pension fund, Strathclyde Pension Fund Superannuation Funds, has confirmed that it is reviewing its actuarial services for its £6bn pension fund because of Best Value.

UK-based Inchcape Motors Pension Scheme has appointed Martin Currie Investment Management to actively manage its £7m Japanese equities mandate.

UK-based Caterpillar Pension Plan has appointed William M. Mercer as its actuarial and investment consultant.