(Top row L-R:) Sarah Steel, Craig Looker and Simon Borhan (Bottom row L-R:) Sankar Mahalingham, Natalie Winterfrost and Jane Beverley
This week’s movers include those at Aptia, Eversheds, Broadstone and LawDeb, among others.
Aptia appoints head of market relations
19 March
Pensions administration, consultancy and actuarial services firm Aptia has appointed Sarah Steel as head of market relations.
Steel brings more than 30 years' pensions industry experience and joins from NatWest Cushon where she was director of corporate relationships. Prior to this, she held senior roles at Aon and Hymans Robertson, alongside running her own company which provided financial wellbeing services to clients.
In her new position, she will take a leading role in Aptia's engagement with stakeholders to bolster relationships and ensure the firm's services meet the needs of schemes, sponsors and trustees.
Aptia UK president Malcolm Reynolds said: "Sarah's insight, reputation, and deep understanding of the pensions landscape make her a valuable addition to Aptia. Her ability to connect market needs with meaningful solutions will play a key role in shaping our next phase of growth. We are delighted to welcome her to the business."
Steel added: "Aptia is at a truly exciting point in its journey, especially as we expand our capabilities into consulting. In my new role, I'll be focussing on deepening the relationships that help our clients navigate pensions with confidence.
"We need to be clear, connected, and genuinely invested in the impact we make - ensuring the market sees not only what Aptia delivers today, but the ambition and expertise that are fundamental to enhancing the member experience in future."
Martin Richmond
Eversheds appoints two pension partners
19 March
Eversheds Sutherland has appointed Simon Borhan and Craig Looker as partners in its UK pensions team.
Borhan joins the firm from Linklaters where he was a pensions partner. He has wide ranging experience working with large and complex schemes, sponsoring employers, insurers and asset managers, and has worked on investment and scheme endgame matters as well as ESG governance.
He is currently on the defined contribution and investment sub-committee of the Association of Pension Lawyers and is a member of Pensions UK's legal advisory group and the Independent Faculty of Actuaries' fiduciary duty working party.
Looker joins from his pensions partner role at DLA Piper, bringing experience on defined benefit scheme management, complex project work, de-risking transactions, and international corporate transactions. He rejoins Eversheds having worked there earlier in his career.
Commenting on the dual appointments, Eversheds head of pensions Jeremy Goodwin said: "We are thrilled to welcome Simon to Eversheds Sutherland and equally thrilled to welcome Craig back at this exciting stage of the firm's growth. Simon brings rare experience across investment and end game matters, strengthening our capability in areas where client demand is rapidly increasing. Craig's outstanding technical reputation and leadership experience also make his return especially significant."
Global head of employment, labour and pensions group Diane Gilhooley added: "I am delighted to welcome Simon and Craig, reinforcing our commitment to strengthening our national pensions offering at a time of significant change for clients. They bring exceptional technical capability and a client focused, commercial approach that will further enhance our ability to deliver market leading pensions advice."
Borhan noted: "I am absolutely delighted to join Eversheds Sutherland at such an important moment for the pensions industry. The firm's strong platform, collaborative culture and market reputation provide an excellent foundation to continue and grow my broad pensions advisory and investment practice. I look forward to working with colleagues across the firm to support clients through the increasingly complex investment and regulatory landscape at such a crucial time for many schemes."
Looker added: "It is a real pleasure to return to Eversheds Sutherland where I began my career, and the opportunity to help further build the profile of the team and its reputation for high-quality, pragmatic advice is an exciting one. The pensions market is vibrant and highly active, and I look forward to collaborating with colleagues to deliver for our clients and to open up new opportunities for the team."
Holly Roach
LPFA adds to senior leadership
18 March
The London Pensions Fund Authority (LPFA) has appointed Carol Campbell as director of governance, risk and legal.
Campbell joins from her interim role at the Lothian Pension Fund as head of legal, and previously was monitoring officer for the City of Edinburgh Council advising elected members and executive teams on legal and governance topics.
Her new role will start in mid-April 2026 once she completes her 18-month interim role at Lothian.
LPFA chief executive Jo Donnelly said: "We are delighted that Carol is joining the LPFA. She brings a wealth of governance and legal expertise, and her background across local government, the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) and regulated financial services will play a crucial role in strengthening our assurance and risk capabilities. Her experience, judgement and commitment to public accountability will be invaluable as we continue to embed our corporate structure and deliver strong outcomes for our members and stakeholders."
Campbell added: "I'm delighted to be joining the LPFA at such an important time for the sector. I look forward to supporting strong governance as the LGPS continues to evolve and working with colleagues across the organisation to deliver excellent outcomes for our members and stakeholders."
Jasmine Urquhart
Broadstone appoints endgame principal
18 March
Broadstone has appointed John Bacon as principal of projects and endgame administration.
Bacon has 22 years in pensions administration and joins from Barnett Waddingham where he worked for a decade with the Pension Protection Fund, Pension Insurance Corporation and Clara. He previously worked in roles at Mercer and at Atkin & Co.
In his new role, alongside newly-appointed head of operations Paul Noone, he will support the firm enhancing its scheme administration capabilities and preparing transactions across endgame.
Bacon said: "I'm thrilled to take on this role at Broadstone as pensions administration becomes increasingly critical to helping schemes and trustees achieve their long-term objectives. Broadstone has a brilliant pedigree of delivering high-quality administration services and I'm excited to build on that success, working with our clients and colleagues to ensure we continue to deliver confidence and certainty for scheme members."
Noone added: "John's appointment reflects our continued investment in pensions administration, strengthening our endgame capabilities at a time when we are experiencing significant growth. As schemes focus on long-term security for members, they need excellent levels of expertise with exacting standards of project delivery. John brings an extensive track record of leading challenging administration projects and we are delighted to welcome him to the team as we continue to provide our clients with a consistently high-quality service."
Jasmine Urquhart
LawDeb makes strategic leadership appointments
18 March
Law Debenture has made strategic leadership appointments within its pensions business, appointing Natalie Winterfrost, Sankar Mahalingham and Jane Beverley to new roles.
Winterfrost becomes head of pensions for a two-year term starting 1 April, overseeing people leadership and service excellence.
She has "highly respected" experience as chair of the CFA Society UK, as a trustee, and during her time at the firm.
Mahalingham will move into the head of pensions growth role, with 30 years' experience and knowledge of business development and strategic client relationships.
They will both work "in a close leadership partnership" reporting to chief executive Denis Jackson.
Beverley will move from her head of trusteeship role to become senior director, focusing on client work and technical excellence.
The firm has also appointed Lily Lovegrove as pensions HR business partner and Natalie Cannon as operations partner.
Of the appointments, Jackson said: "We are hugely grateful to the team for their excellent contributions to so many aspects of our business, and their invaluable role in creating this new structure.
"These changes to our pensions division create a robust, scalable infrastructure and will ultimately benefit our clients and scheme members. We are perfectly positioned to deliver both the operational rigor and the strategic growth our clients expect over the coming years, further cementing our position as a leading independent professional services provider."
Jasmine Urquhart
PIC appoints non-executive director
17 March
Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC) has appointed Hitesh Patel as a non-executive director (NED) on its board and the board of its parent company PIC Group.
Patel will also become chair of PIC's investment and origination committee and a member of the nomination, conflicts, and board risk committees.
He was previously chief executive of life assurance firm Lucida and is currently a NED and senior independent director of Landmark Mortgages, chair of Canopius Managing Agents, chair of the board of Augusta Ventures Holdings, and deputy chair and council member of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Commenting on the appointment, PIC chair David Weymouth said: "We are pleased to welcome Hitesh as an independent NED. His fresh perspectives and wealth of experience will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen our governance and oversight, fulfilling PIC's purpose of paying the pensions of our current and future policyholders.
"Hitesh's appointment reflects PIC's commitment to maintaining a highly skilled board with diverse thinking that can guide the business through its next phase of growth."
Patel added: "I am delighted to be joining PIC at this exciting juncture. PIC's purposeful approach, and the need to maintain strong governance to achieve it over coming decades, strongly aligns with my values. I'm excited to work alongside David and the boards as the company continues to secure the pensions of increasing numbers of defined benefit pension scheme members."
Holly Roach
Scottish Widows adds three to distribution team
16 March
Scottish Widows has made three appointments in its distribution team.
Caroline Miller has been appointed as strategic partnership director, joining the firm with 23 years' experience. She joins from Aberdeen and specialises in strategic partnerships.
Alistair Stewart has been hired as strategic development director, also joining from Aberdeen. He has experience working across the advice sector, market consolidation and investment insight.
Maria Kilpatrick joins as intermediary senior development manager from M&G where he was regional director. She also has 20 years' experience managing sales teams and driving performance.
Commenting on the trio of appointments, Scottish Widows intermediary wealth director Jenny Davidson said: "These are star additions to our team who bring deep industry expertise and strong relationships across the advice market. Their arrival enhances our ability to serve intermediary partners and supports our ambition to grow by delivering a consistent, high-quality experience for advisers and their clients."
Holly Roach
Isio appoints employee benefits lead
16 March
Isio has appointed Marcus Slee as partner and head of employee benefits.
Slee has 15 years' experience across employee benefits, technology and commercial strategy, joining from Mercer where he was partner and digital lead for Mercer Marsh Benefits UK and Europe and led on designing and delivering digital strategy across European markets.
Prior to this he worked at Thomson Online Benefits for a decade on transformation and leadership.
Isio chief executive Andrew Coles said: "We are seeing strong and sustained demand from employers for technology-enabled solutions that make benefits more accessible, personalised and impactful for employees. Marcus brings a combination of strategic leadership, digital innovation and expertise in the benefits technology ecosystem. His appointment significantly strengthens our leadership team as we continue to grow our employee benefits business and invest in new technology-led solutions for clients."
Slee added: "Isio has built a strong reputation for independent advice and innovative thinking across pensions, investment and employee benefits. The opportunity to join a business that is growing rapidly and investing in new solutions for clients is incredibly exciting.
"Employers are increasingly looking for benefits strategies that are data-driven, digitally enabled and more closely aligned with the needs of their people. I look forward to working with colleagues across Isio to continue developing the firm's employee benefits offering and helping employers provide more engaging and effective benefits experiences for their employees."
Jasmine Urquhart
