Aon Pensions Podcast

Gareth Jones is joined by Daniel Peters, Head of Investment Policy and Strategy, and Shelley Fryer, Associate Partner, to discuss Aon’s Zone Framework - a new approach for setting investment strategies. This episode begins with a short quiz! For more information, contact: Daniel Peters Head of Investment Policy & Strategy daniel.peters@aon.com Shelley Fryer Associate Partner shelley.fryer@aon.com

February 2025 – AI & Pensions In this podcast, Aon’s Jennifer Michel and John Harney are joined by colleagues Dominic Makemson and Rebecca Peake to discuss AI and pensions. You will also hear the key pension news from the last month summarised by Jennifer Michel and John Harney. Register to attend our Pensions Conference Series: https://www.aon.com/pension-conference?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium...

December 2024 – Pensions: Present and Future In this podcast Aon’s John Harney and Jennifer Michel are joined by journalist Charlotte Moore (who chaired of a recent Aon-hosted discussion) to reflect on the present and future of pensions. You will also hear the key pension news from the last month summarised by John Harney and Jennifer Michel. Watch our recent budget webinar on demand: https://aone...

2024 Autumn Budget In their Fiscal Risks and Sustainability Report the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) baseline projection had debt to GDP rising to over 270% of GDP within the next 50 years: a level higher than the World War II peak and Japan’s elevated levels. Has Rachel Reeves done enough in the budget to address this? Are there unintended consequences of the announcements including chang...

November 2024 – Pensions Dashboards: The Member Perspective In this podcast Aon’s John Harney and Jennifer Michel are joined by colleague Paul McGlone a Partner within our retirement practice to discuss pensions dashboards and their impact on members. You will also hear the key pension news from the last month summarised by John Harney and Jennifer Michel. Email us your topic suggestions, comments...

October 2024 – Learnings from our 2024 DC Survey In this podcast Aon’s John Harney and Jennifer Michele are joined by colleagues Clare Freeman and Joe Betts from Aon’s DC Pensions Team to discuss insights from our 2024 DC survey. You will also hear the key pension news from the last month summarised by Jennifer Michele and John Harney. Further information: Read our 2024 DC Pension Scheme Survey Re...

Insurers and non-profits, such as charities and endowments, are navigating a very different and uncertain economic and market environment than in previous years – and, a more active, diversified approach to managing portfolios is needed to generate growth. Here, Gareth Jones talks to Geoff Bauer and Jennifer O’Neill about the current investment themes impacting insurers, charities, endowments and...

Institutional investors are working hard to navigate uncertainty in the economy, investment markets and, of course, government policy. In times like this, more sophisticated and confident approaches to risk management and embracing innovation are needed. In the first of Aon’s Investment Insights Podcast, and direct from the annual PLSA Investment Conference in Edinburgh, Gareth Jones talks to Mari...

DC Investment with Joanna Sharples Gareth Jones is joined by Joanna Sharples, Chief Investment Officer for DC Solutions, to discuss recent and expected developments in DC investment, following the King’s Speech. Joanna also reflects on her role as Chief Investment Officer, the role for responsible investments in DC portfolios and supporting members after retirement. For UK Professional Clients Onl...

September 2024 – Making better decisions In this podcast Aon’s John Harney is joined by colleagues Angela Maxwell and Hatty Goodwin from Aon’s Investment Team to discuss how pensions professionals can work together to make better decisions. You will also hear the key pension news from the last month summarised by John Harney. Further information: Watch our webinar exploring the new DB Funding Code...

The turbulence over the weekend is a reminder of how difficult it is to call the market and the importance of having portfolios which are resilient to shocks…themes which were explored when Gareth Jones interviewed former Chief Economist Tapan Datta a few weeks ago. On episode 3 of the Investment Insights podcast, Gareth explored Tapan’s career, including the market crises he navigated, to gain in...

August 2024 – Buy-ins for smaller schemes In this podcast Aon’s John Harney is joined by colleagues Dyfan Jones, Joe Hathaway, (both Associate Partners), and Naureen Pasha, a Consultant, all members of Aon’s Risk-Settlement Team to discuss which end-game options are available for smaller schemes. You will also hear the key pension news from the last month summarised by John Harney. Further informa...

In this podcast Aon’s Jennifer Michel and John Harney are joined by colleagues Alice Wilmot, an Associate Partner, and Asif Yusuf, a Senior Consultant, both within Aon’s Covenant and Security Team to discuss how the DB pensions landscape has changed and what this means from a covenant advice perspective. You will also hear the key pension news from the last month summarised by Jennifer Michel and ...

June 2024 – An International Pensions Perspective In this podcast Aon’s Jennifer Michel and John Harney are joined by colleagues Saffron Sweeney, Head of Aon’s Wealth Solutions for the Pacific Region and Colin Haines, Aon’s Chief Commercial Officer for EMEA Wealth Solutions to discuss what we can learn from the pensions systems outside the UK. You will also hear the key pension news from the last...

May 2024 – Responsible Investment Trends for Asset Owners In this podcast you will hear the key pension news from the last month summarised by Aon’s Jennifer Michel and John Harney. This month Jennifer and John are joined by Eilidh Wagstaff from the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) and Craig Campbell from Aon’s Responsible Investment Team to discuss the key developments of Responsible I...

Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is an important topic for many. John Harney talks to Sue Austen, Partner at Aon, to find out the key insights from Aon’s Global Pension Risk Survey and understand the practical steps trustees and sponsors of pension schemes are taking on EDI to support better decision-making and risk management. The data and analytics from our recent survey are now available here. We...

How much progress have schemes made with implementing ESG factors within their investments over the last two years? Jennifer Michel talks to Jennifer O’Neill, Partner at Aon, to find out the key insights from Aon’s Global Pension Risk Survey and understand how schemes can best face ESG risks within their investment strategies. The data and analytics from our recent survey are now available https:/...

April 2024 – Professional Trusteeship In this podcast, you will hear the key pension news from the last month summarised by Aon’s Jennifer Michel and John Harney. This month Jennifer and John are joined by Natalie Winterfrost from Law Debenture and Colin Richardson of Zedra to discuss the advantages and challenges of professional trusteeship, including sole trusteeship, as well as the future of th...

How much progress have schemes made with GMP equalisation projects over the last two years? John Harney talks to Lauren Ramsey, Associate Partner at Aon, to find out the key insights from Aon’s Global Pension Risk Survey and understand how schemes can best navigate the challenges that can arise when completing GMP equalisation. The data and analytics from our recent survey are now available here....

March 2024 – The Revised PLSA Retirement Living Standards In this podcast, you will hear the key pension news from the last month summarised by Aon’s Jennifer Michel and John Harney. This month Jennifer and John are joined by Chloe Ludden to discuss the recent increase in the PLSA Retirement Living Standards and examples of what schemes are doing to help members with retirement adequacy. Further i...

Member Options and Support What are the latest trends in member options and member support? John Harney talks to Polly Cripps, Associate Partner at Aon, to find out the key insights from Aon’s Global Pension Risk Survey and understand practical steps trustees and sponsors of pension schemes can take to enhance the experience and outcomes for their members. The data and analytics from our recent su...

February 2024 – Pensions risk settlement: reflecting on a record-breaking 2023 In this podcast you will hear the key pension news from the last two months summarised by Aon’s Jennifer Michel and John Harney. This month Jennifer and John are joined by Hatty Goodwin and Leah Evans to discuss the innovations and developments in 2023 in the DB pension risk settlement market, including exclusivity, inv...

How have UK pension schemes been impacted by rising interest rates and the subsequent impact on funding levels and deficits? Hear key insights from Aon’s Global Pension Risk Survey to how UK schemes are reacting to this from Rupert Kotowski, an Associate Partner in Aon’s investment practice. Rupert also discusses the changes schemes are making to investment strategies and how many are dealing with...

Long term targets In this podcast in our series on the Global Pension Risk Survey - UK results, Jennifer Michel speaks to Alastair McIntosh, partner and co-author of the survey, about the long-term targets of pension schemes. What are schemes aiming for as their long-term target and how do they expect to reach their goals? The data and analytics from our recent survey are now available here. We wo...

Highlights from the Global Pension Risk Survey – UK results. In this podcast in our series on the Global Pension Risk Survey - UK results, Jennifer Michel speaks to Aon's Head of UK retirement policy, Matthew Arends, and partner and co-author on the Global Pension Risk Survey, Alastair McIntosh about the highlights of the survey. The main theme since the last survey took place two years ago is tha...