Buck acquires Concert Consulting
Buck has announced its acquisition of pensions and employee benefits communications firm Concert Consulting in a bid to expand its member engagement offering.
Following the purchase, the business will be known as Concert, a Buck company.
Concert - founded in 2004 and based in Bristol - specialises in developing creative communication strategies through employee research, copywriting, and graphic design for both print and digital media in a bid to help both employers and trustees better engage with their employees and members.
Buck said that, through the addition of Concert, it will "significantly expand" its ability to develop and implement tailored engagement strategies for its UK-based and multinational clients, particularly in the high-demand area of pensions administration.
It added its clients will directly benefit from personalised communications, and employees and members will have technology-enabled, user-centric ways of interacting with their benefits.
"Effectively engaging employees and plan members is a growing priority for the pensions and employee benefits industry," explained Buck UK managing director David Piltz. "Through our acquisition of Concert, we can now fully meet our clients' requirements, partnering with each to understand their goals and deliver tailored messages to employees and members that provide a high-quality user experience."
Concert founder Peter Walsh added: "We've developed outstanding relationships with our clients through the strategy and delivery of new ways of communicating with their employees and members.
"What excites me most about being part of Buck is the ability to introduce our results-oriented thinking to a broader set of clients while also expanding our reach with respect to the subject matter we focus on."
Walsh will continue leading the business, supporting clients as they transition to Buck.
Buck said it remained "committed" to making further acquisitions in the UK in the areas of pensions, investments, employee benefits, and engagement - supporting its mission to deliver a deeper set of solutions for its clients.
It said the acquisition of Concert will complement the firm's award-winning engagement capabilities in North America.
"Serving our clients nimbly and responsively and helping them achieve desired outcomes quicker than ever before remains our top priority," added Buck chief executive Jack Freker. "We're taking deliberate steps as an organisation to expand our capabilities so that we can continue to help clients deliver on the social contract with their employees and members."
More on Industry
Have your say: Should trustees be held accountable for the security of data and assets in the event of a cyber attack?
In this week's Pensions Buzz, we want to know if you agree that trustees be held accountable for the security of data and assets in the event of a cyber attack.
PP Monthly Digest: November 2020
Here it is, our monthly digest of the most important pension articles Professional Pensions has written and published over the last month, along with some contextual notes.
AMNT launches DWP-supported voting infrastructure working group
The Association of Member Nominated Trustees (AMNT) has officially launched a working group focused on dismantling the “overly complex and archaic” barriers to trustee voting.
Exclusive: Multiple dashboards unnecessary says industry in mixed Pension Schemes Bill feedback
More than four in five employers oppose the implementation of multiple pensions dashboards and any that do not include state pensions, the Association of Consulting Actuaries (ACA) says.
Half of scheme representatives agree fiduciary duty hinders trustees in addressing climate change, finds XPS
Half of scheme representatives believe the current fiduciary duty of trustees hinders them in their ability to address climate change, according to a poll by XPS Pensions Group.
Most read
