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DB Pensions: Enhancing the Member Experience

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Webinar Overview

For many defined benefit (DB) pension scheme members, the retirement decision is one of the most financially significant choices they will ever make. In response, schemes are placing increasing emphasis on offering a broader range of options and higher-quality support, so that members can navigate this complexity with greater clarity and confidence.

In the first part of this panel discussion, experts will examine current trends in member options and support. This will include in‑scheme developments such as bridging pension options, access to independent financial advice, and online modelling tools, as well as the emerging role of AI in member support.

We will then consider members’ retirement journeys through the lens of the scheme’s long‑term strategy, whether the ultimate objective is to transact with an insurer or to run-on.

For schemes planning to run-on for an extended (or indefinite) period, we will explore how this can create opportunities to share emerging surplus with members over time—through discretionary pension increases, targeted one‑off cash payments, enhanced guidance and advice, and improvements to the broader benefits package.

For schemes considering an insurance transaction, we will assess how insurers are significantly expanding the range of options and support available to members post‑transaction. We will also discuss how schemes can undertake robust due diligence to ensure that their chosen insurer is closely aligned with both the scheme’s objectives and members’ needs.

This panel will provide attendees with a clear, 360° view of the evolving landscape of member options and support—and how these can be effectively aligned with endgame decision‑making.

Presenters

Jonathan Stapleton

Editor, Professional Pensions

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.

Edward Burns

Senior Consultant, Aon

Ed is a senior consultant in Aon’s wealth business, with over 8 years’ experience advising both trustee and corporate clients and working with some of Aon’s largest pension schemes.

He is passionate about improving the member experience and is a member of Aon’s member options and support team. In this role he has supported multiple clients in projects including introducing new retirement options and enhancing member support, including access to IFAs and educational modellers, to help members make better-informed decisions and achieve improved retirement journeys.

Jamil Merali

Associate Partner, Aon

Jamil is an Associate Partner at Aon and a senior member of Aon’s risk settlement group, advising on transactions of all sizes (£10M to £bn+), with a particular focus on improving the member experience as part of these transactions. Prior to joining the risk settlement team, Jamil spent a significant part of his career in Aon's member options & support team where he supported trustees and corporates in improving the options and support available to members.

Victoria Heard

Senior Consultant, Aon

Victoria is a senior consultant in Aon’s Wealth business with over 13 years’ experience advising both trustee and corporate clients on defined benefit pension strategy. She leads Aon’s corporate funding specialist team and is passionate about helping sponsors understand the full spectrum of endgame options so they can select the approach that best aligns with their objectives.

Victoria has advised on numerous buyout transactions, as well as on run-on strategies where schemes can generate additional returns for the benefit of both members and sponsors. She is also a member of the Association of Consulting Actuaries’ Member Experience Group, which is focused on ensuring that the needs of pension scheme members are central to the advice provided by the industry.

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