Ann Rigby joins BESTrustees in 2013 after 10 years as a scheme actuary
BESTrustees has promoted Ann Rigby to become chair of its board of directors to replace Zahir Fazal who is stepping down at the end of June.
Rigby, who has been on the BESTrustees board since May 2021, is a professional trustee with over 25 years' experience as a leader in the pensions industry. She joined BESTrustees in 2013 after 10 years as a scheme actuary.
The professional trustee firm said it was "delighted" to be promoting from within and said the move was a "natural evolution" in the running of the company - noting its focus had always been on good corporate governance as well as succession planning as it grew.
Fazal will step down as chair at the end of June after four years in the role, but will remain in an ambassadorial role and also as one of BESTrustees' 30 professional trustees with a portfolio of schemes.
Commenting on her appointment, Rigby said: "I am delighted to be taking over as Chair from Zahir, who has made such a huge contribution to our business. This is a very interesting time for the sector.
"We have retained our independent status when other providers have consolidated and lost theirs.We have a top-class group of professional trustees here with a big future ahead of us and I am thrilled to have been chosen to lead the company at this really exciting time."
Fazal added: "Leading this company for the last four years has been a huge privilege, but I feel now is the right time to be handing over the baton. In my time as Chair, we have widened the skills base of our trustees, taking on trustees from a wide range of disciplines, adding even more core knowledge and experience to our firm. Given Ann and I worked closely together on the BESTrustees board for those years, I know she has the vision and leadership skills to fulfil our potential."
