Hymans Robertson has published a checklist to help sponsors of defined benefit (DB) pension schemes establish a plan for run-on.

The firm stated that it was established in response to findings that regulation posed the most significant risk to their run-on strategy. The checklist is designed to help them minimise this risk and navigate their way through increasingly complex decisions. Commenting on the importance of DB schemes following a clear process in their run-on journey, Hymans Robertson head of corporate DB, Sachin Patel, said: “It’s crucial that sponsors of DB schemes take a logical and thorough approach to planning their run-on journey. Of course, the first step in the process is to establish whether run-on is the right option for their scheme. If it is, corporates should take time to carefully consider the entire process holistically, and our checklist is a powerful starting point for this process.

Hymans Robertson has also launched ST3, a tailored sole trustee service.

The new service will be delivered by a centralised, specialist client team at the leading pensions and financial services consultancy. It is designed around the sole trustee’s specific experience and expertise, agility, and pace of working to help them manage their multiple appointments. The firm said service would provide agile, strategic support to sole trustees by partnering with them at their own pace and offering essential insights when and where needed, as well as peer-to-peer expert support. Strategic leads will also be on hand as ‘in-the-moment’ sounding boards to provide strategic leadership for aligning stakeholders’ risk appetites with decision-making. In addition, the service will offer plug-and-play data where and when sole trustees need it, enabling them to work in dynamic collaboration with their advisers, the firm added.

The Pensions Management Institute (PMI) and Aptia have partnered to develop a qualification designed to raise standards in pensions administration.

This qualification, thought to be the first of its kind for the sector, will enable employees to stay informed about changes in pensions law and practice, industry trends and technological advancements, making them more effective in their roles and supporting their long-term career growth. Working closely with the PMI, Aptia will initially roll out training for the qualification to colleagues in the UK and India. Going forward, it is hoped that the qualification will become an industry standard and be adopted by other pension administration organisations. PMI CEO, Gareth Tancred, said: “We are dedicated to supporting and developing experts who manage UK pension schemes. We are also committed to fostering industry collaboration and driving innovation to enhance retirement outcomes. This strategic partnership is part of that drive to work with the industry to improve our qualifications and raise standards across pensions continuously.”

Brightwell has been awarded the ServiceMark Accreditation following a final assessment from the Institute of Customer Service (ICS).

ServiceMark is a national standard that independently recognises an organisation’s achievement in customer service and its commitment to continuous improvement. It is based on an organisation’s levels of customer satisfaction and an assessment of employee engagement with their customer service strategy and commitment to their customers. Brightwell scored highly in both the Institute’s business benchmarking results (89.1, compared to an all-sector average score of 76.1) and ServCheck results (81.7, compared to a UK benchmark of 78.4). Brightwell head of member services, Andy Whiltelaw, commented: “We’re thrilled to receive this independent recognition from the ICS, which acknowledges the high-quality service we provide. This accreditation clearly and publicly displays our commitment to excellence in member service, and we look forward to working with the ICS in the future.”

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