Jonathan is editor of Professional Pensions and has been reporting on UK occupational pensions since 2001. He has won a number of awards during his career, most recently the SPP Trade Journalist of the Year Award in 2019. He is also holder of the PMI's Retirement Provision Certificate.

Neil Walton is head of investment solutions at Schroders. He is responsible for providing advisory services and implementing solutions for clients covering investment strategy, risk management and a wide range of solution design, including fiduciary management. Walton joined Schroders in 2005 and is based in London.

In previous roles, between 2012 and 2016, Walton was head of the UK business development group, with responsibilities for consultant relations, UK Institutional business strategy and the development of client solutions. He established Schroders’ strategic solutions proposition in 2005, focussed on providing strategic investment and liability focussed engagement with clients. While in this role, Walton pioneered the development of diversified multi-asset strategies (including DGF) and liability-hedging capabilities within Schroders.

Previously, Neil was a senior investment consultant and European partner at Mercer. Neil holds the actuarial certificate in derivatives, and is a qualified actuary with a BSc in Actuarial Science from City University.

Alan Baker joined LawDeb in May 2019 from Mercer. He currently acts as trustee on six pensions schemes ranging from £7m to £1.5bn, chairing one scheme and leading on two sole trustee clients.

Baker has extensive experience of investment strategy, risk management and de-risking – and is currently working with two schemes going to market.

He leads Law Debenture’s sole trustee business and is a member of the Association of Professional Pension Trustees’ sub-committee on the code of practice for professional corporate sole trustees.

Prior to joining LawDeb, Baker was a partner at Mercer and was responsible for launching a number of new business lines including Mercer Dynamic De-risking Solution, Mercer Workplacee Savings and Mercer Smart DB.

In addition to his professional experience Alan was previously a trustee and director of Strawberry Hill House a cultural heritage site internationally famous as Britain’s finest example of Georgian gothic revival architecture and still remains closely involved as a patron.

Ray Martin is a director at IC Select and is also a professional trustee, holding roles at schemes including the Church of Scotland Pension Schemes, a Unity Trust Bank scheme, and the Really Useful Theatres Pension Scheme. He also serves as chairman of the East Sussex Pension Fund board and vice-chairman of the Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme board.

He has 40 years of experience in pensions having held a number of pension roles during his career – including positions such as global benefits director at Tetra Pak, head of pensions and benefits at Royal Bank of Scotland, and vice-president of pensions at DHL.

Martin previously chaired the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association’s benefits and investment councils – when the trade body was known as the National Association of Pension Funds – and the UK Investment Performance Committee, the consultative body for the Global Investment Performance Standard.

Paula Champion is head of fiduciary management oversight and an investment advisory practice director at Isio. She helped set up the firm’s Bristol-based investment advisory and consulting teams and has more than 20 years of industry experience.

Prior to working at KPMG, Paula was a principal at Mercer where she had worked across both the actuarial and investment businesses since 1998.

Outside of work, Paula provides support to her local primary school and scouts unit, including reading with children and helping with fund-raising and support of the World Scout Jamboree.