Agenda

08.50 – 09.20: Registration and refreshments

09.20 – 09.30: Chair’s opening remarks
Natalie Tuck, Editor, European Pensions &Assistant Editor, Pensions Age

09.30 – 10.00: OPENING KEYNOTE SPEAKER: View from the PLSA
Joe Dabrowski, Deputy Director – Policy, Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA)

As the voice of workplace pensions, the PLSA shapes public policy impacting more than 30 million savers in the UK in key areas such as adequacy, regulation and the role of pension funds in driving UK growth. At this crucial juncture ahead of the General Election, PLSA Deputy Director of Policy, Joe Dabrowski, will set out a roadmap of what the next Government should do for pensions in its first 100 days and outline how the PLSA is driving important saver-focused initiatives.

10.00 – 10.30: Bulk annuity market update – an insurer’s perspective on the evolving landscape
Jack Hill, Senior, Business Development Manager, Standard Life
Alex Oakley, Business Development Manager, Standard Life

This session will offer delegates an overview of the bulk annuity market, from providers and market volumes, to scheme size and shapes, as well as look at the key challenges facing the BPA market. The speakers will also address what’s on the horizon: projected demand, regulatory changes, as well as streamlining / improving efficiency.

10.30 – 11.00: DB Pensions Endgame – getting it right
Jonathan Griffith, Partner & Head of Endgame Innovation, LCP

Set against the backdrop of improved funding levels, future changes in regulations, market innovation, and with a new public sector consolidator on the horizon, how do DB pension schemes make sure they take the right decisions on the endgame journey for their particular circumstances? Heightened media interest in pensions mean decisions carry more risk than ever before - even decisions that were previously perceived to be run of the mill are now the focus of intense scrutiny.

This session will address:

- How to best consider the options available and what is right for your scheme
- Common pitfalls to avoid when setting a strategy
- Why the endgame "journery" is more important than the "destination"

11.00 – 11.30: Coffee break

11.30 – 12.00: Biodiversity loss – the silent crisis
Ingrid Kukuljan, Head of Impact & Sustainable Investing, Federated Hermes Limited

Over the last century, we have seen unprecedented real GDP growth and have made huge progress on many fronts such as benefitting from improvements in mortality rates and technological advances. Unfortunately, in the process, we have chosen to ignore nature and have altered 75% of the earth’s surface and 66% of the marine environment to satisfy our consumption and energy needs. It is estimated that damage to our ecosystems and the associated loss of biodiversity could represent risk to global economy of $10tn by 2050. We consider biodiversity loss as an urgent crisis as we are already living on borrowed time. We need corporates to understand their impacts and dependencies on biodiversity and ecosystems the same way investors need to start allocating capital to companies that help to preserve and replenish natural capital.

12.00 – 12.30: KEYNOTE SPEAKER: The Pensions Dashboards Programme: Progress Update and What's Next
Chris Curry, Principal of the Pensions Dashboards Programme, Money and Pensions Service

 Chris Curry will provide updates on the latest progress from the Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP) and what's to come for the rest of 2024 and beyond, including the connection timetable set out in guidance, recently updated dashboard standards and user testing plans. He will also cover the benefits of pensions dashboards and how PDP collaborates with partners and the pensions industry, and will be pleased to take any questions.

12.30 – 13.00: Ensuring Pensions Dashboards Success: Practical Case Studies
Mark Adamson, Sales and Marketing Director, ITM
Scott Blurton, Head of Pensions, Bupa
Maurice Titley, Chief Innovation Officer, ITM

Join us for an insightful session as MauriceTitley and Mark Adamson present case studies showcasing pension schemes ready for dashboards. This session will explore the critical steps schemes have taken, including ISP implementation, enhancement of matching capabilities, and resolving the benefit processes for dashboards. Gain practical insights on ensuring your scheme confidently meets government requirements before the fast-approaching deadlines.

13.00 – 14.00: Lunch break

14.00 – 14.30: Legal update – hot topics: Transfers, Scams, the Funding Code and more
Matthew Swynnerton, Partner, DLA Piper 

Matthew Swynnerton, Partner at global law firm DLA Piper and head of the London Pensions Team, will provide an essential update on key topics that should be on all pension schemes’ radars, including transfers and pension scams – where we are now;  the implications of the Virgin Media v NTL case; the Funding Code; pensions issues for gig economy employers; Sharia law issues in occupational pensions; and an overview of what’s on the horizon.

14.30 – 15.00: A spotlight on large versus small pension schemes
Catherine Edmondson, Trustee Director, Independent Governance Group (IGG)
Nicole Mullock, Trustee Director, Independent Governance Group (IGG)

Catherine Edmondson and Nicole Mullock, Trustee Directors at Independent Governance Group (IGG), will use this session to highlight and discuss the challenges and strategies applicable to trustees managing large versus small pension schemes today and into the future. 

15.00 – 15.30: KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Private markets in DC and the role of the Long-Term Asset Fund
Imran Razvi, Senior Policy Adviser, Pensions & Institutional Market, The Investment Association

 Imran Razvi is a policy and regulatory affairs professional, and an expert on the UK pensions and retirement system. He will offer delegates an update from The Investment Association, where he has been leading the association’s work on expanding the role of private assets in the UK DC sector, including through the development of the Long-Term Asset Fund (LTAF) regime, and more. In this session, Imran will discuss the role that LTAFs can play in DC portfolios.

15.30: Chair’s closing remarks and drinks reception