Hymans Robertson has appointed Anthony Ellis as head of DC investment strategy.

Ellis is an equity member and joined the firm in 2009, having previously worked at Phoenix Group, Lloyds Banking Group and PWC. He has a long history of advising defined contribution (DC) clients on investment and retirement benefit strategy, and was instrumental in developing the firm's DC investment proposition before becoming head of investment consultancy for Hymans Robertson. Commenting on his new role, Ellis said: "The DC market is going through a period of enormous transformation, and there is an expanding investment universe available for DC schemes, trustees and members to navigate. I am thrilled to be returning to fully focusing on our DC clients and to support and strengthen what we offer to the market. With the government seeking the views of the DC market to help make real change in the pensions industry, the next few months look set to be an incredibly busy time."

SEI has appointed Leila Samara as client relationship director of DC.

With nearly 20 years of experience in the pensions industry, Samara brings expertise in client management, consultancy, and proposition development to SEI. She most recently served in senior product management and client relationship positions at Fidelity International. Prior to that, Samara held DC and consulting roles at Mercer, Barclays, Willis Towers Watson, and XPS Group. Samara will be responsible for managing client relationships within the SEI Master Trust. Commenting on her appointment, she said: “Throughout my career, I’ve been passionate about making an impact in the pensions industry by delivering strong services that shape members’ retirement outcomes for the better - a commitment that’s shared by SEI and is evident in the company’s growth trajectory. I’m thrilled to join SEI and help continue driving success for our clients and members.”

Towers Watson has appointed Ashu Bhargava as a senior director in its retirement business.

Bhargava is re-joining Towers Watson, a WTW business, having spent 16 years at the company until 2016, advising both trustees as scheme actuary and scheme sponsors across the full range of pension issues. Following his first stint at Towers Watson, Bhargava joined L&G as director of strategic transactions before joining Clara Pensions in 2018. As senior director, Bhargava will focus on helping clients across the wide range of pension risk management opportunities now available, including superfund transactions. Commenting on his new position, Bhargava said: "I am delighted to rejoin the company at a time when we are seeing lots of innovation. Trustees and sponsors now have much more choice when deciding how to implement solutions that meet their unique scheme requirements and Towers Watson has an excellent track record for clients in pension transactions.”

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