Ross Trustees and Independent Trustee Services Limited have merged to form the Independent Governance Group (IGG).

The Ross Trustees and ITS brands will continue to operate under the IGG umbrella brand for a short period and until full integration of the two businesses is completed later in 2023.

Following the merger, the group will have 437 appointments and a combined value of over £340bn of assets under governance, with 119 employees across both business.

Although the fnancial details of the transaction are undisclosed, IGG has confirmed that Ross Trustees CEO, Andrew Bradshaw, will assume the role of CEO, alongside ITS co-founder Chris Martin of ITS, who will be the organisation’s executive chair.

In addition to this, the board will include group chief financial officer, Anthony Livingstone, and chief risk officer, Kate Hardingham.

Commenting on the merger, Ross Trustees CEO and IGG board CEO, Andrew Bradshaw, stated: “The leadership team and shareholders of the two businesses are absolutely delighted with the combination of our two client-centric businesses.

“We are hugely excited to launch IGG, which immediately becomes the UK’s leading provider of professional pensions trusteeship and governance services at a time of accelerating demand from employers and scheme trustees. As two people-first businesses, the combination of Ross Trustees and ITS creates a governance powerhouse through a much deeper pool of talent and resources plus a strengthened proposition for clients.”

ITS co-founder and IGS executive chair, Chris Martin, added: “We all look forward to working closely together as we integrate our respective teams and service offerings, bringing them together to provide further value and great outcomes for our clients and scheme members. The merger will allow us to grow our standing as an employer of choice in the industry.

“I share Andrew’s enthusiasm and excitement about the future for IGG and we all look forward to realising its full potential as the leading provider of governance services over the months and years ahead.”

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