The People’s Pension has appointed Stuart Reid as its distribution director.

Reid joins the master trust from Smart Pension, where he was director of workplace pensions. During his 30-year career, he has worked at major companies such as Scottish Widows and Hymans Robertson, developing a range of experience working with trustees and employment benefit consultants. Commenting on his appointment, Reid said: “I’m thrilled to be joining such a purpose-led organisation, which has a proven track record in driving societal change. I look forward to leading a talented team and building on the huge success that People’s Partnership has enjoyed over the past decade.”

Standard Life has announced that its CEO, Any Curran, will retire in the summer of 2025.

Curran made the decision to retire after five years at the helm of Standard Life, during which time the business became a key driver of the broader Phoenix Group’s organic growth. Following his retirement, the company will move to a flatter leadership structure that will see the retirement solutions and asset management divisions coming together to create a new business unit, led by Phoenix Group chief investment officer, Mike Eakins. Under the new structure, Phoenix Group retirement solutions CEO, Tom Ground, will report to Eakins, and remain a member of the executive committee. Leadership consistency will be retained in the Standard Life business with Colin Williams, Tom Ground and Nigel Dunne remaining in their roles, as well as Mark Screeton continuing as SunLife CEO.

The Pensions Management Institute (PMI) has appointed Helen Forrest Hall and Matt Knowles to its executive team.

Hall was appointed as chief strategy officer, bringing nearly 20 years' experience in the pensions sector to the role. Knowles, meanwhile, was appointed as chief learning officer. In his new role, he will be responsible for the PMI’s education, training and qualifications offering including the PMI Academy. The new appointments are expected to help the group deliver on its plans to advance pensions knowledge, foster industry collaboration and enhance retirement outcomes.

The Charities Pensions Club (CPC) has appointed First Actuarial as its actuarial partner.

As part of the partnership, First Actuarial will actively participate in events around the year, hosting a hybrid seminar on a subject chosen by members and speaking at the CPC’s annual conference. Commenting on the appointment, CPC director, Chloe Scragg, said: “First Actuarial’s strong presence in the not-for-profit sector really stands out, and I’m confident that they’ll understand our members’ needs. Their proactive outlook will work well with the CPC, which is a small and dynamic organisation. They’ve got lots of good ideas. My early impressions are that First Actuarial are proactive and energetic. Their understanding of the sector comes across clearly. And they’re sensitive to the reputational risks and resource constraints that charities face in managing their pension schemes. I’ve got high hopes for our partnership.”

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