The Broadcast

What do a Stranglers tribute band drummer, a pensions knowledge platform and personalised video technology have in common? More than you'd think. David Brooks is joined by Gareth Stears of Aries Insight and Ian Beestin of FCX Technologies for a discussion on how technology is helping the pensions industry turn complexity into clarity. Our trio explore how different corners of the pensions industry...

With DB pension schemes increasingly reporting significant surpluses, the conversation is shifting from how they arose to what should happen next. In this episode, Steve Hull, a Partner in Burges Salmon’s pensions team, and Becky Wood, Trustee Director and Head of Vidett’s Endgame Solutions team, explore the evolving legal and fiduciary landscape around surplus—who it belongs to, how it can be use...

In this episode, host David Brooks is joined by Jez Petty Director at Like Minds and Kate Upcraft from the Association of Member Nominated Trustees (AMNT) to discuss how pension schemes can improve the way they communicate with their members. Jez shares insights from shortly to be released research, including why the industry has historically undervalued communications and whether increasing regul...

When a surplus appears, it raises some deceptively simple – but important – questions. Who controls it? How should it be used? And how does it fit with a scheme’s long-term strategy? In this episode our host David Brooks is joined by Hatty Goodwin a Trustee Director at IGG and Broadstone’s Head of Investment Consulting Marc Devereux. They explore how trustees and sponsors think about surplus in pr...

In this episode, host David Brooks is joined by Kelly Parsons, Broadstone’s Head of DC Proposition, and Susan Hope, Business Development Director at Scottish Widows, to explore insights from the latest Scottish Widows Women and Retirement Report. Together they unpack the systemic barriers that continue to affect women’s ability to save adequately for retirement, sharing both data‑driven findings a...

Our host David Brooks, Head of Policy, is joined by Christopher McCarthy and Catherine Fenton to talk through the importance of ensuring that trustees maintain the required knowledge and understanding to execute their roles properly. They also talk through ways to identify weaknesses and source the support trustees need. Trustee knowledge and understanding is a statutory requirement, something The...

Listen in as our Head of Health & Protection, Brett Hill, talks to industry legend Iain McMillan to get his take on a career spanning 33 years in the UK PMI industry following his recent retirement from Bupa. We hear Iain’s thoughts in the current state of the industry, and his reasons for optimism about the industry’s future.

David Brooks is joined by Fiona White Broadstone's Pensions Operations Manager to discuss how we support members or beneficiaries we identify as vulnerable, how we can identify them, help them with sensitivity and help our colleagues have the tools they need to do this.

In this insightful episode, host Rahul Choudhary, Director of Risk at Broadstone, sits down with Nidhi Agarwal, Chief Model Risk Officer at Virgin Money, to demystify the complex and ever-evolving world of banking regulations and risk management. Tune in now to explore: What makes Model Risk Management the “silent guardian” of banking How AI is being leveraged - and regulated - in the risk space W...

As Lenin said “ There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen”. We are living in interesting times and there is a lot to unpack with the Trump Tariffs: even though these have changed substantially in the past few days, there are things trustees can do to make sure schemes are protected in times of uncertainty. Our host David Brooks is joined by Senior Investment...

Your host David Brooks is joined by Marc Devereux, Head of Investment Consulting and Rosalind Scott-Douglas, Investment Director to discuss how buy-in and buy-out has impacted investment strategies, what run-on can look like, the investment implications of the funding code, growth assets, and lower risk strategies.

Your host David Brooks is joined by Senior Consultants & Trustee Secretaries Catherine Fenton and Chris McCarthy to discuss the General Code, Cyber risk and the importance of Trustee Secretaries.

Join our host Simon Kew and expert Rahul Choudhary, Director of Risk at Broadstone, as they explore the latest in regulatory analytics and its impact on banking. From IFRS 9 and IRB to MRM and AI in credit risk modelling, gain valuable insights and practical advice to navigate the complexities of regulations and risk management.

Your host David Brooks is joined by Chief Actuary David Hamilton and Head of Trustee Services Chris Rice to talk through the funding and risk transfer issues affecting trustees and sponsors. David H gives his views on funding code, gilt volatility and section 37. Chris talks about a developing risk transfer space, impacts of funding code and also good planning to overcome unwelcome market movement...

In this exciting episode of The Broadcast, our hosts David Brooks and Simon Kew are joined by special guest Paul Maynard, former Pensions Minister. What happens when you are handed the brief'? What is it like working with the Secretary of State? What goes on in the Whips’ Office? Tune in to find this out and more as they go behind the scenes and explore what it’s like working as a government offic...

Our guest in this edition is John Ronayne, Lead Data Scientist at YuLife. John talks to Brett Hill about an exciting research project exploring the links between gamification, reward mechanisms, workforce wellbeing and future health outcomes, and what it could mean for employers and the wider employee benefits industry.

In this episode our hosts David Brooks and Simon Kew are joined by Jade Murray, Partner at Addleshaw Goddard LLP, discussing a wide range of trending pensions topics from Section 37 to Surpluses and Trustee Dynamics.

When Kier Starmer warned us to prepare for the Autumn budget to be ‘painful’ on October 30th it made already stretched households anxious about where we might feel the pain. So, what does this mean for employers and employees? Invariably, this can bring a sense of unease to workers and employers are being asked to lead from the front to bring a sense of calm. Helping employees navigate a painful b...

Join us to listen to the thoughts of Jon Darby at Bluecrest Wellness, in understanding the critical role health checks can play in the first line of defence against serious chronic illnesses and most importantly the ability to identify modifiable risk factors, which can improve the future health journey of your employees.

In this episode of The Broadcast, our host Simon Kew is joined by Erika Parker, Senior Consultant & Actuary from our Insurance, Regulatory & Risk team, to discuss funeral plans. We explore what a funeral plan is, the role of a funeral plan actuary, and what the future looks like for the funeral plan market.

Hear the thoughts of our special guest Gordon Wishart, founder and Chief Medical Officer of Check4Cancer, as he talks to Brett Hill and Emily Jones about the scale of the current challenges facing UK cancer care, what the future might hold, and what it all means for those employers funding employee healthcare benefits.

Our host David Brooks is joined by our very own David Hamilton, Chief Actuary and Marc Devereux, Head of Investment Consulting to discuss one of the newest concepts to the pensions industry, run-on. We explore what it means, what makes it attractive, the challenges associated with it and discuss whether it would be a viable option for smaller schemes. We also touch upon our thoughts on productive...

Our hosts Brett Hill and Emily Jones are joined by Sharon Harwood-Davis, Broadstone Client Consulting Director and specialist in Health Trusts, to explore this growing sector in the UK employee benefits market, and to ask what employers need to think about when considering whether a Health Trust might be the best way to fund employee medical benefits.

In this episode, our hosts David Brooks and Simon Kew are joined by Jerry Moriarty, CEO of the Irish Association of Pension Funds and Chairperson of PensionsEurope. We explore what the Irish pensions landscape is currently looking like, covering auto-enrolment, demographic changes, productive finance, retirement commissions and dashboards. We also discuss examples of good practice across Europe an...

Our host David Brooks is joined by Roshni Sakaria from L&G and Jonathan Hazlett from Osborne Clarke, as well as our very own Mark Channon. In this episode, we discuss what’s been occurring in the buy-out market for the last twelve months and what to look forward to in the future.