The Association of Consulting Actuaries (ACA) has appointed Aon partner, Chintan Gandhi, as its new chair, setting out a vision focused on improving pension adequacy, making better use of defined benefit (DB) surpluses and supporting the development of collective defined contribution (CDC) pensions.

Gandhi officially took office on 1 June 2026, succeeding Isio partner, Stewart Hastie.

Commenting on his appointment, Aon partner and ACA chair, Chintan Gandhi, said he was taking on the role at a "pivotal moment" for UK pensions.

He highlighted the need to build a pensions system that delivers adequate and secure retirement incomes, supports fairness between and within generations, and strengthens public confidence and engagement.

With this in mind, Gandhi identified four key priorities for his two-year term.

The first is tackling pension adequacy and improving retirement outcomes for groups that remain under-pensioned, including some women, carers, disabled people, ethnic minorities and the self-employed.

He pointed to the findings of the Second Pensions Commission's interim report, which estimated that up to 15 million UK adults are currently on track to fall short of an adequate retirement income.

As part of this work, Gandhi reiterated the ACA's support for phased reforms to automatic enrolment, including gradually increasing minimum contribution levels, removing the lower earnings threshold, reducing the minimum age for enrolment and developing a practical approach to bring self-employed workers into pension saving.

The second priority centres on the use of DB surpluses and endgame strategies.

Gandhi said the ACA would continue working with policymakers and industry stakeholders to help develop a "clear, workable" framework for surplus extraction that balances employer access to surplus funds with member protections and trustee responsibilities.

He also suggested there was scope for DB surpluses to support current workers, including by enabling employers to transfer surplus funds into The Pensions Regulator-authorised defined contribution (DC) or CDC schemes to help fund pension contributions for active employees.

CDC provision forms the third pillar of Gandhi's agenda.

He described the introduction of whole-life multi-employer CDC schemes as an important development for the UK pensions market, arguing that they could provide members with an income for life that is expected to keep pace with inflation while reducing the burden of complex investment and decumulation decisions.

Gandhi said the ACA would continue to champion CDC alongside high-quality DB and DC provision, while also engaging with policymakers and providers on the development of default retirement solutions in DC schemes.

He argued that retirement CDC should be available before, or alongside, the wider rollout of guided retirement services so schemes can assess it against annuities and other emerging retirement income products.

The final priority focuses on the wider pensions framework, including tax policy, the state pension and social care.

Gandhi stressed that the ACA would continue to advocate for stability in the pensions tax regime, a sustainable state pension system and better integration between pensions and social care policy to help individuals plan for later-life costs.

Alongside Gandhi's appointment, the ACA confirmed that WTW senior consultant, Debbie Webb, was re-elected as honorary treasurer, while Barnett Waddingham actuary, Richard Gibson, was elected honorary secretary.

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