Agenda

08.30 - 08.50: Registration and refreshments

08.50 - 09.00: Chair’s opening remarks

09.00 - 09.25: What’s next for DC?

Sackers’ partner, Helen Ball, will explore the key priorities for those responsible for running defined contribution (DC) arrangements, as the DC landscape continues to evolve at pace. With the spotlight now turning towards retirement journeys and pensions adequacy, we might see some big changes to the traditional roles of trustee, employer and provider. Helen will look at the government’s latest DC roadmap and consider how upcoming pensions law changes could influence everyone’s “to do” list over the next 12 months or so.

09.25 - 09.50: Delegated solutions in a complex world

Tim Dougall, Head of Delegated Solutions for the Asset Management business of L&G, will explore the evolving role of delegated solutions in the UK pensions market. Against the backdrop of current market conditions, the presentation will consider how schemes can use delegated solutions to navigate increased complexity, manage investment risks and respond more effectively to changing market dynamics.

09.50 - 10.15: Fireside chat - Collective Ambition: The rise of CDC across Europe

As pension systems across Europe face increasing pressure from demographic change, funding challenges and the need to deliver sustainable retirement incomes, Collective Defined Contribution (CDC) schemes are gaining momentum. This session will explore how different markets are adopting collective pension models, the lessons from established systems, and the opportunities for future growth. Sophie Dapin and Christian Hyldahl will discuss how CDC can balance risk-sharing, improve retirement outcomes and support long-term financial security, while addressing the governance and implementation challenges that remain across an evolving European pensions landscape.

10.15 - 10.40: Will recent underperformance by Quality global equities reverse? And has the definition of Quality changed?

The MSCI World Quality Index of large-cap global equities outperformed the MSCI World by 3% p.a. over the 32 years from July 1994 to 2026. But over the past three years, Quality has underperformed. Has the long-term market paradigm changed, now disadvantaging Quality? Or should investors recognise that the recent concentration of indices and narrow market leadership is creating a significant opportunity to buy great stocks at low valuations - Quality stocks ‘on sale’?

10.40 - 11.05: Behavioural science in pensions: From communications to outcomes - applying behavioural insights to improve member decision-making

As regulatory expectations evolve, pension schemes and providers are increasingly expected to demonstrate not only that they communicate with members, but that they help them achieve better outcomes.

Claire Hovey, Director of Behavioural Science at Lumera, will explore how leading organisations are combining behavioural science, data, personalisation and evidence-based design to improve understanding, engagement and decision-making across key member journeys.

Drawing on practical examples from across the pensions industry, Claire will examine why traditional communication measures are no longer enough, what regulators increasingly expect to see, and how schemes can move from measuring activity to measuring impact on member behaviour, confidence and long-term outcomes.

11.05 - 11.30: Coffee break

11.30 - 11.55:Regulatory arbitrage across end-game solutions and current risks to members 

As the range of endgame solutions available to DB pension schemes continues to expand, trustees face an increasingly complex set of strategic choices. But given the different regulatory frameworks, what does that mean for members? This session will explore the differing regulatory frameworks that apply across buyout, run-on and other endgame options, and consider the impact for members and what this may mean for the industry as a whole.

11.55 - 12.20: Panel - The Lifecycle of a Small Scheme

Chaired by 

Helping smaller schemes to navigate the current pensions environment - what differences should there be in our approach to supporting them? We’ll discuss in a fireside chat the nuances involved in helping these schemes to thrive, whatever stage they are at in their journey from an administration, corporate consulting, investment consulting and risk transfer point of view.

12.20 - 12.45: Improving Retirement Outcomes: The Role of Private Credit in Near-Retirement Portfolios

Private markets are increasingly being incorporated into DC default strategies, but almost exclusively during the growth phase. This session explores the opportunity to improve retirement outcomes by extending access to investment grade private credit into the years immediately preceding retirement. We'll discuss how extending or incorporating private credit into the near-retirement glidepath can diversify sources of return, reduce reliance on traditional public fixed income, and better align portfolios with the long-term investment horizon that many retirees continue to have. The discussion will examine the investment case, implementation considerations, and the potential to deliver better risk-adjusted outcomes for DC savers.

12.45 - 13.10: Keynote speaker: Navigating today’s pension landscape

The role of a pensions leader in today’s environment comes with a unique set of challenges, with regulatory change, economic uncertainty, member expectations and the needs of the wider business all competing for attention.

Muntazir Hadadi, Head of Pensions at First Bus, will share a candid perspective on the realities of leading pensions today. He will explore the challenges he has faced, the lessons learned and the successes achieved along the way.

13.10 - 14.00: Lunch break

14.00 - 14.25: Fireside chat - The First Allocation: Lessons in entering UK venture capital

Chaired by Matthew Swynnerton, Chair, Association of Pension Lawyers

What does it take for a pension fund to make its first investment in UK venture capital? In this session, Lorna Blyth of Aegon UK and Ian Connatty of the British Business Bank will explore what it took to make Aegon UK's first allocation to the asset class through the British Growth Partnership Fund I. Together they will explore the opportunity they identified for the UK’s pension savers, as well as the barriers they encountered and how they overcame them, providing useful insights for pension funds considering their own approach to venture capital.

14.25 - 14.50: Emerging Market Debt in a Fragmenting World: Where Are the Opportunities Being Missed?

Emerging market debt has undergone a profound transformation over the last decade, yet many portfolio construction frameworks continue to rely on assumptions that no longer reflect today's reality.

In a year defined by geopolitical realignment, trade tensions, fiscal divergence and shifting monetary policy paths, where are the most compelling opportunities and risks within emerging markets? Which countries and sectors are best positioned to navigate a more fragmented global economy, and where may investors be underestimating vulnerability?

Drawing on proprietary research, in country company and sovereign issuer engagements, and real-time insights from market participants across emerging economies, Mohammed Elmi, Senior Portfolio Manager, Emerging Markets Debt, will explore how market inefficiencies are creating opportunities that many investors continue to overlook.

14.50 - 15.15: Session details to be announced...

15.15 - 15.40: Challenges and options facing the Pensions Commission

The Second Pensions Commission's interim report set out, in stark terms, the scale of the challenges facing the UK pensions system. But the real policy choices are still to come. This session will unpack the key issues raised so far and the live policy options for addressing them, focusing on three areas where reform looks most likely: extending automatic enrolment, tackling low pension saving among the self-employed, and helping people to better access their wealth through retirement. Which trade-offs will the Commission need to confront for its final report?

15.40 - 16.05: Closing keynote speaker to be announced...

16.05: Close of conference and drinks reception