Torsten Bell MP
Minister for Pensions
Nike Trost
Head of Department, Wholesale Buyside - Market Analysis and Policy, FCA
As Head of Department Nike is responsible for delivering the FCA’s strategy and risk outlook in relation to the asset management sector, policy approach to asset management and FCA regulated pensions.
Nike has 20 years regulatory experience gained from working across the FCA, including in overseeing asset management supervision, various capital market policy roles, oversight of primary capital markets transactions and heading the FCA’s prospectus approval function.
Chris Clark
Policy Business Lead, The Pensions Regulator
Chris is a Business Lead in the Policy team at TPR. Among other areas, he leads the team developing TPR’s policy thinking around key issues for DC schemes, including Value for Money, decumulation and CDC. He previously led the policy team working on the new DB Code and Superfunds. Prior to that, he has held various roles in TPR including leading their analytics team and representing EU and international forums.
Simon Borhan
Partner, Eversheds Sutherland
Simon is a Partner in the Eversheds Sutherland Pensions Group. He advises trustees, corporates, providers, insurers and investment and fund managers on all aspects of DB and DC pensions law and governance.
Simon has extensive experience of advising on de-risking and scheme end-game solutions, including buy-ins, buy-outs, longevity swaps and scheme run-on. He also regularly advises on complex funding matters and solutions, including scheme funding agreements, contingent assets and security arrangements.
Simon regularly advises trustees, corporates and financial investors on the pensions aspects of complex and high profile public and private M&A transactions, including multi-jurisdictional employee benefit matters and business carve-outs.
Simon has a particular interest in investment matters and advises trustees, fund and investment managers and insurers in relation to illiquid investment solutions (including secondary sales of pooled fund investments, DC investment in illiquid assets and solutions for illiquid investments as part of buy-ins and buy-outs), pooled fund investments, discretionary and fiduciary management, custody arrangements, derivative transactions and all aspects of ESG and TCFD compliance.
Charlotte Cartwright
Partner, Eversheds Sutherland
Charlotte offers the full spectrum of pensions legal advisory services.
A pensions partner in our London office, she has over 10 years of pensions law experience advising occupational pension schemes, with a particular focus on large or technically complex schemes.
Whether you are a company or a trustee, Charlotte has the experience to help you navigate the full spectrum of pensions legal issues — both in the UK and on international projects. This includes the day-to-day running of pension schemes, pensions and corporate restructurings, M&A, and international benefits work.
She is actively involved in developing pensions law in the UK, including in her role on the legislative and parliamentary subcommittee of the Association of Pension Lawyers (the committee which takes the lead on consulting with government and regulators on upcoming changes on behalf of the Association).
Jen Green
Legal Director, Eversheds Sutherland
Jen is a Legal Director in our Human Resources practice group, specializing in non-contentious pension law.
She acts for both employer and trustee clients. Her practice ranges from assisting employers with their auto-enrolment duties, establishing complex funding structures (including asset-backed funding arrangements), to guiding trustees through the maze of increasing pension legislation and governance requirements.
Rebecca Fearnley
Proposition Manager, Money & Pensions Service (MaPS)
Rebecca is a propositions manager at the Money and Pensions Service. She worked extensively on the Advice Guidance Boundary Review and MaPS's response to the FCA's proposals for targeted support. Rebecca has extensive consumer and financial guidance experience, having worked for more than two decades at Which? as a personal finance journalist and head of the Which? Money Helpline. She believes strongly in the value of guidance in helping consumers make informed financial decisions, particularly vulnerable consumers and those most in need of support.
Peter Glancy
Head of Policy, Insurance, Pensions & Investments, Lloyds Banking Group
Pete has been with Lloyds Banking Group for 36 years, holding a broad range of senior positions across Operations, Change, Corporate Ventures, and Propositions before taking on the Public Policy remit 11 years ago. Pete is on the Pensions Panel at the CBI, the DC Committee at the PLSA, The Strategy Council at TISA, and various committees at the ABI. Pete is also a Non -Executive Director at Criterion Tech UK, as well as Chair of the Policy Group at the Platforms Association.
Tim Hodgson
Managing Director, Head of DC Platforms & Retirement Solutions, Blackrock
Tim Hodgson is Head of the UK DC, Platforms and Retirement Solutions business. Tim is responsible for designing, leading, and executing strategy for BlackRock’s UK & Ireland DC business, working with key clients to deliver better retirement outcomes. The team specialise in whole portfolio solutions incorporating both public and private market products.
Tim is a part of the UK and European Institutional Client business leadership team and is a member of the UK ExCo, the UK Client Business Steerco and the European Institutional Steerco.
Tim holds a BSc (Hons) in Economics from Cardiff University.
Michael Johnson
Independent research fellow
Michael is an Independent research fellow who has trained with JP Morgan in New York and, after 21 years in investment banking, joined Towers Watson, the actuarial consultants. Thereafter he ran David Cameron’s Economic Competitiveness Policy Group and has subsequently written 40+ predominately pensions-related papers, published through various think tanks. Several are backed by both Conservative and Labour peers. Michael is consulted by serving ministers and shadows, and Commons and Lords Select Committees, including the Treasury Select Committee.
Eoin Lyons
Chief Operating Officer for Europe, SS&C
With more than 35 years of experience in financial services, Eoin Lyons has held senior leadership roles spanning commercial management, operations, and technology across major global organisations. Originally from Dublin and now based in London, Eoin began his career in software development before progressing into broader general management, where he has built a reputation for strategic clarity, operational excellence, and strong client partnership.
Eoin recently assumed a new leadership role at SS&C, taking responsibility for all clients across all business lines in Europe. He also serves as Sector Head for Insurance in Europe, shaping strategy, strengthening client relationships, and driving growth across the region. He joined SS&C in 2024 as Chief Operating Officer for Europe.
Before joining SS&C, Eoin was CEO of OPAL Ltd., a UK based regulated technology and outsourcing firm, a position he held from 2016. Prior to that, he spent more than 15 years with the AXA Group, holding a series of senior roles in Ireland and the UK, including Managing Director of AXA Partners Ireland and Chief Operating Officer of AXA Partners UK.
Eoin holds a degree in Computer Science from Trinity College Dublin and an MBA—earned on a full merit based scholarship—from UCD Smurfit Graduate Business School. He is also a Chartered Management Accountant.
He lives in St Albans with his wife, Kate, and their five sons.
Richard Parkin
Head of Retirement, T Rowe Price, T Rowe Price
Richard Parkin is the Head of UK Retirement for T. Rowe Price. Richard is based in London and works with the firm’s distribution and investment teams in supporting clients with the design, development and implementation of retirement investment solutions and associated propositions. He also acts as a spokesperson on retirement for the firm in the UK.
Richard joined the firm in March 2026 having started his career as a defined contribution investment consultant in 1991 before moving into asset management. He has held senior product development and policy positions with UBS Global Asset Management and Fidelity International. More recently he was head of retirement at BNY Investments having spent 5 years running his own strategy consultancy.
Richard has a degree in mathematics from the University of Warwick. He is also a non-executive director and Deputy Chair of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and chairs the Investment Association’s Retirement Income Committee.
Kate Smith
Head of Public Affairs, Aegon
Kate is Head of Public Affairs at Aegon, with almost 40 years of experience in the pensions industry. She’s been at Aegon since 2006, and previously worked at PWC, Mercers and Friends’ Provident. Kate is a Fellow of the Pensions Management Institute. Kate’s focus is on the ever-changing pension environment and the evolving shape of the workplace pensions market, and the acceleration of this following the Pension Schemes Bill. Kate’s mission is to seek to achieve good outcomes for savers and promote the value of saving. Kate is a frequent commentator in the financial and consumer press. She’s a founding member of the Pensions Equity Group (PEG) and a member of the Pensions UK Master Trust Committee. She’s also a corporate trustee of a defined benefit pension scheme, and mentor.
Laura Shanks
Head of Offer Strategy, Vanguard
Laura Shanks is Head of Proposition for UK Personal Investing at Vanguard, where they lead the development and delivery of client-focused investment solutions designed to improve long-term financial outcomes. With over 20 years’ experience in financial services, they have built deep expertise across proposition design, distribution, and customer experience, with a strong focus on making investing simpler, more transparent, and accessible for UK investors.
Prior to joining Vanguard, Laura held senior roles leading proposition and distribution at Barclays Wealth and Schroders Personal Wealth. They are particularly passionate about empowering individuals to take control of their financial futures through clear, low-cost investment approaches, and regularly contribute to conversations on the evolving landscape of personal investing in the UK.
Andrew Storey
Group Innovation Director, EV
Andrew Storey is Group Innovation Director of EV. He provides a unique combination of actuarial, technical and user experience skills to design and deliver innovative planning and suitability solutions for financial guidance, digital advice and face-to-face advice. Andrew has experience in delivery from design, specification, testing and client management.
Having started his career as an actuarial consultant at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Andrew has over 25 years experience in pensions, investments and IT solutions and an extensive knowledge of retirement income planning. Previously, he was responsible for designing and delivering system efficiency and data quality at a large outsourcing firm. Whilst a Stakeholder Manager at pensions actuarial consultancy Barnes & Sherwood, he passed the Financial Planning Certificate and has an in-depth understanding of the advice process.
Andrew holds a BSc degree in Actuarial Science from City University London and a Diploma in Management from Reading University.
Rachel Vahey
Head of Public Policy, AJ Bell
Rachel is Head of Public Policy helping financial advisers and planners understand the changing pensions and savings environment, as well as how new legislation and regulation affects them and their clients. She’s well known within the pensions and savings industry, and regularly speaks at AJ Bell events, alongside writing content and articles for AJ Bell's website.
Steve Watson
Director of Policy and Research, Cushon
Steve Watson is Cushon's Director of Policy & Research. He has spent over 30 years of his career advising organisations on all aspects of pensions and workplace savings both in the UK and internationally.
Sophie Legrand-Green
Head of Policy: Consumer Protection & Access, TISA
Sophie leads TISA’s work on the Advice/Guidance Boundary Review, Disclosures, Financial Education, Financial Crime and TISA’s Inclusive Investing initiative. Before joining us, Sophie worked in Wholesale Markets Policy at the FCA, gaining experience in Primary and Secondary legislation, as well as FCA consultations. She has worked on Brexit and the LIBOR transition and was seconded to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Prior to that, she worked in M&A for a FTSE 100.
Renny Biggins
Head of Policy: Products & Long-Term Savings, TISA
Renny has been at TISA for over 7 years and is the Head of Retirement. He has been in the industry for over 30 years and has held various management and senior management positions at organisations ranging from a large mutual life and pensions company, a bespoke SIPP provider, an IFA and a platform technology provider. Qualifications wise he holds the CII accreditations of Certificate in Life and Pensions, Certificate in Financial Planning and Diploma in Financial Planning. He is a frequent commentator in the media and has significant involvement in the ongoing Government agenda of change through his TISA role and membership of several industry working groups and committees.
Attendee Fees: Non-members: £480 (VAT Exempt), Members: £330 (VAT Exempt)
