The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) has signed up to the Women in Finance Charter.

The group said that it highlights the PLSA’s commitment to improve gender diversity within the sector. PLSA chief executive, Julian Mund, said that having diverse boards is key to the long-term success of companies and that the PLSA had a “responsibility to ensure that women are represented fully across the wider pensions sector”. According to the body, it has achieved its goal of having 50 per cent of women in its senior management team, but added that a lot more work was needed to ensure fair representation of women across the PLSA.

Brunel Pensions Partnership has launched an Emerging Markets Equities sub fund.

The Local Government Pension Scheme said it would now be looking for emerging market equity managers to invest with, starting in January 2019, offering a mandate size of approximately £1.3bn. Consultancies Inalytics and Redington will assist the fund, which will be delivered through Brunel’s ACS platform. The formal launch of the fund is scheduled for Q3 2019. The group added that it is looking to receiving strategic research and thought pieces on investing in emerging markets as it looks to finalise its background documents.

Aon has partnered with Scientific Beta and Legal and General Investment Management to deliver a multi-factor index.

The new index will look to take advantage of the way factor investing is “rapidly transforming” the way investors manage portfolios, particularly for defined contribution pension schemes, who increasingly look towards these strategies. The customised index is based on long-standing research that Aon developed with Cass Business School, highlighting the efficiency gains from investing in an alternative way. The four factors identified include value, low volatility, quality and momentum.

Share Story: