The Pensions Management Institute (PMI) has announced Michael Clark as the first fully accredited professional trustee in the UK, as it confirms plans for online exams in light of Covid-19.

Clark, a professional trustee and CBC Pension Services director, said that he was “delighted” to have been accredited, noting that the accreditation allows trustees to demonstrate to members that they have sufficient skills to handle “what are increasingly complex pension schemes”.

The PMI meanwhile highlighted his accreditation as marking a “new chapter in professional trusteeship in the UK”.

The group has now also confirmed plans for the programme to be rolled out as an online resource in light of Covid-19, with online multiple-choice exams expected from May.

Initially, online exams are expected to include the PMI Certificate in Pensions Trusteeship Unit 2 (soft skills exam), to be followed by the Award in Pensions Trusteeship, Certificate in DC Governance and Retirement Provision Certificate.

The PMI launched the accreditation programme, APTitude, in February, following standards published by the Professional Trustee Standards Working Group (PTSWG) in 2019.

Commenting on the announcement, PMI CEO, Gareth Tancred, said: “On behalf of the PMI Board and Advisory Council I would like to offer our congratulations to Michael Clark on becoming the first fully accredited professional trustee in the UK.

“While many trustees hoping to complete the accreditation will have seen the process hampered by the impact of Covid-19, we are pleased to announce that we will be rolling out our online multiple-choice exams from May."

He added: “In the meantime, we encourage all professional trustees to make as much headway as they can with their applications, so that they will be able to hit the ground running in completing the final accreditation exams.

“Professional trustees play a crucial role in pension scheme governance and as industry professionals, it is within all of our interests to strive for ever-improving governance standards to drive better outcomes for scheme members.”

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