United Kingdom

UK - Baillie Gifford has won a £110m UK equity mandate for Northern Trust's manager-of-managers platform.

UK - Firms can cut the number of sick days due to stress by letting staff work from home in purpose-built garden offices, a specialist firm claims.

UK - The Pensions Commission will urge the government to simplify the "overly-complicated" pensions system, delegates at Mercer's Global Investment Forum were told.

UK - Northern Trust has appointed Penelope Biggs (pictured) as head of its institutional custody, fund administration and asset servicing businesses in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

UK - Publishing group Harper-Collins has completed the second enrolment of its flexible benefits plan.

UK - Employer attitudes and poor appreciation of legislation is stunting the growth of flexible working patterns, new research shows.

UK - Gissings is launching a new package which, it says, will slash flexible benefit costs for small to medium-sized firms by up to 80%.

UK - Gartmore Investment Management is to close its Japanese equities long-short hedge fund at the end of the month due to capacity constraints.

UK - Schemes will be able to borrow money for the first time, under changes outlined in the Finance Bill.

UK - The £2.3bn Tyne & Wear Pension Fund has appointed Hymans Robertson as its investment consultant.