The Brewery, London
Professional Pensions Live Statement:
Despite our best efforts to deliver Professional Pensions Live we have taken the decision to postpone this event and plan for a safe and successful event on later date. We are currently reviewing several options and will continue to keep you informed as soon as we have a confirmed date for the event.
The current global situation unfolding around COVID-19 presents too much risk and our first priority is to protect the health and well-being of our delegates, sponsors and staff along with the quality of the event and we hope that you will support us in this decision and continue to join us on the new date.
If you are already registered, we will automatically move your booking to the new date once this has been confirmed and we will communicate further updates in due course.
For further information about booking a paid delegate pass or sponsorship, please contact us here.
We will continue to stay in touch over the coming weeks to keep you informed with all of the exciting content for the event. Should you have any queries in the meantime, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Professional Pensions Live
'Putting Members First'
Welcome to Professional Pensions Live, a reimagining of Pensions and Benefits UK, but with a new focus on the core topics that makes Professional Pensions tick.
Professional Pensions Live presents the perfect opportunity to benefit from industry thought leadership and connect with over 800 like-minded professionals. Through in-depth discussions, debates and breakfast briefings led by over 100 expert speakers, Professional Pensions Live hopes to bring the magazine to life and arm you with the information and insight you need to develop practical solutions to the on-going challenges you face.
The Pension schemes bill is full steam ahead and we can expect the Department for Work and Pensions to press ahead with the topics the legislation will enable, like collective defined contribution schemes for Royal Mail and the pensions dashboard.
The revised DB funding code of practice is high on the agenda with the first of a two-part consultation launching in March. The Pensions Regulator is also set to deliver its final decision on the future of trusteeship, Professional Pensions Live will aim to help answer the hard questions: should every trustee board contain a professional trustee, how to improve diversity on boards, and whether there should be minimum standards of knowledge and understanding.
Professional Pensions Live will consist of four parallel streams so you can ‘pick and mix’ from a selection of DB, DC, Trustee Focused and HR focused topics and workshops. Our programme is complemented by our outstanding exhibition zone which offers the opportunity to network and build relationships with your peers.
We hope you can join us for this exciting event in the heart of the city of London.
This event is working towards the International Standard ISO 20121 and follows guidance set out by the Sustainable Event Alliance (SEA)
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Event Countdown
Highlights from the 2019 event:
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Professional Pensions Live is specifically researched and developed for in-house pension and benefit scheme representatives. Please refer to the full description below. It will be of particular benefit to professionals with the following job functions:
Trustees
Chair of Trustees
CFOs/FDs
Heads of Pensions/Benefits
Pensions Admin Managers
Pension Scheme Directors/Managers
Benefits Managers
Company Secretaries
HR Directors/Managers
Day 1
Delegates register, network and breakfast in exhibition area
Welcome from Jonathan Stapleton, Editor, Professional Pensions
Charles Counsell, Chief Executive, The Pensions Regulator
TBC
DB Schemes
Partner insight session
PORTER TUN
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has just ordered the trustee boards of 400 schemes to urgently conduct a data review as part of its crackdown on poor scheme record-keeping. This crackdown marks the latest phase in a regulatory battle against poor data, an issue that has been systemic across the industry for many years. This session will look at the step’s schemes can take to bring their data up to standard once and for all.
Consolidation can help schemes to reduce costs per member, improve governance, and lead to more effective investment strategies through economies of scale. But it is necessary to recognise there is an array of options which should be considered; the answer for each scheme depends on its own objectives, goals, and circumstances.
• Superfunds
• DB Master Trusts
• Buy out
PORTER TUN
Guaranteed minimum pension (GMP) equalisation has soared to the top of pension schemes' to-do lists, with 58% stating it is a priority project. Yet, most schemes haven’t yet chosen a GMP equalisation method and are awaiting further guidance and legal clarifications. Things are, however, becoming clearer and the GMP Equalisation Working Group has begun to publish guidance to help schemes resolve the issue. This session will look at where we are now with GMP Equalisation and look at the admin and data steps schemes need to take to complete the project and the pitfalls.
DC Schemes
As trustees consider new regulation requiring them to incorporate ESG into their investment principles, recognition of the risks posed by unsustainable business practices continues to grow. In this session, we will discuss the questions of how can future sustainability risks be taken into account and how can the social and environmental impact of companies be measured?
PORTER TUN
As the majority of savers are in the default, provider decisions on how to structure these strategies will have a significant impact on member outcomes. However, DC providers have taken very different investment approaches in the growth and consolidation phases. Allocation to equities, bonds and other asset classes can vary dramatically between default funds. This session will assess if there is a perfect model for the default comparing equities, fixed income and alternative investments in the growth stage.
This case study will showcase a scheme that leading the revolution in attitudes to investment.
What are current pensioners spending their money on? Is the DC pension designed to be the main source of retirees’ income, or if it is supplemental? How can you define these goals for individual memebers? In light of the FCA’s focus on decumulation pathways, this session examine how DC savers can meet the challenge of increased longevity with confidence. This session will consider:
• Identifying and meeting the spending needs of UK pensioners
• Leveraging DB LDI lessons in DC
• How to prepare for a long-term investing horizon, through retirement and beyond
This session will cover the most burning questions around Master Trusts:
• Re-cap on authorisation and state of the market
• How easy is it to move to a Master Trust
• Assessing your Master Trust
Trustee Focus
Wealth at Work conducted some research with the Pensions Management Institute (PMI) - revealed 81% of the trustees surveyed believed members are not properly equipped to deal with the tax implications of accessing their pension, following the introduction of Freedom and Choice in 2015.
Despite the fears for scheme members, the survey found a lack of support, with just over a third (35%) of trustees surveyed providing financial education for their members. Just 21% of trustees revealed they are providing or facilitating regulated advice for their members at retirement. This session will tackle the best way to provide financial education to members.
PORTER TUN
TPR are actively asking trustees how their schemes are approaching their endgame and at the same time, they’re also scrutinising the relationship between dividends and deficit contributions paid by sponsors of DB plans. Companies paying dividends that are higher than the deficit contributions should expect more focus and challenge on this from their trustees and the Regulator. This session will assess:
• Setting objectives that are right for your scheme
• Identifying appropriate projects and milestones to meet your schemes end game.
With the rise of DB transfers schemes are increasingly required to provide members with more support with their retirement decisions including personalised transfer value figures in retirement packs, online tools and / or IFA support available to members. This session will explore the options for members at retirement:
• Administration barriers around transfers
• Pensions Increase Exchange
The Pensions Regulator has been very clear that they expect trustee boards to improve the standards of governance. Asking a number of questions that this session will cover:
• Should there be an accredited professional Trustee on every board
• Can sole trustees effectively run pension schemes
The merits of diversity have been widely examined and explained over the last few years as decision making research has highlighted the importance of cognitive diversity. However, has anything changed? The panel will discuss:
- How to encourage all aspects of diversity
- The recruitment process
- Trustee board meetings
HR Focus
This session will explore the structural problems causing the pensions gap and the inherent flaws in the set up that continue to be reflected in member outcomes today.
PORTER TUN
PORTER TUN
How do we get members to fully engage with their employee benefits and realise the full value of what they are offered? How do we keep them engaged over time? Our speaker will look at some of the latest work in this area - and leave us with a few practical tricks to improve the way we talk to members.
The breakdown in trust following the crash has been followed by a period of institutions endeavouring to regain public trust, but at the same time, new entrants, unencumbered by legacy, have entered the market and built strong followings. How can financial institutions build that trust with customers and members?