The Independent Governance Committees of Aviva and Friends Life have merged, creating one IGC which oversees the combined business.

Friends Life became part of the Aviva Group in April 2015 and integration work has been ongoing since then to bring the two organisations together.

The new, expanded IGC will adopt the commitments made by both previous committees to deliver value for money, and will represent the interests of over three million Aviva and Friends Life workplace pension customers.

Law Debenture Pension Trustees Limited director Inder Dhingra, who chaired the original Aviva IGC, will chair the new committee.

He will be supported by Pitmans Trustees Ltd director and the previous chair of the Friends Life IGC Steve Carrodus. Robert Talbut and Marcia Campbell will remain as independent members. Aviva managing director of workplace savings Colin Williams and Aviva commercial, propositions and change director Craig Hunter complete the membership.

“I am delighted to have been asked to chair the Independent Governance Committee of Aviva UK Life, and am very much looking forward to the challenges ahead,” Inder Dhingra said.

“IGCs play a vital role in representing members of workplace pensions and ensuring that they are receiving value for money from their pension provider. The new IGC provides an excellent blend of skills and experience, and provides good continuity of membership between the two previous committees”.

Aviva managing director of corporate business solutions Andy Curran said the merging of the two IGCs is “another important milestone in the integration of Aviva and Friends Life”.

“Both IGCs carried out some great work in their first year on behalf of members. It is important that we now bring the expertise from both committees together to build on this and to serve the combined business. Having one IGC overseeing all our workplace pension schemes will ensure a level of consistency for members and means the IGC will have a view across the combined business of Aviva and Friends Life.”

Share Story: