Northern Conference 2026

Des began his career in the Civil Service and DWP back in 2001. Over the past decade, he has managed a wide range of pensions policies, including prominent Defined Contribution measures such as Value for Money, ESG, and Productive Finance. In Defined Benefit Des played a pivotal role as the policy manager, with responsibility for developing a new legislative and authorisation frameworks for DB Superfunds. Des also had responsibility for other DB areas such as contracting out, GMP equalisation, and multi-employer policy.

Adam is an experienced pensions professional specialising in the delivery of scheme secretarial and consultancy services to a diverse range of occupational pension schemes. He has a proven record working with DB, DC, and hybrid arrangements, supporting schemes ranging from 50 to over 200,000 members across the UK and Ireland for well-known organisations. He has worked on a variety of projects including GMP reconciliation and rectification, member communication reviews, scheme take-ons and wind-ups, and implementation of the General Code.

Jenny has over 20 years industry experience with a strong technical background as a qualified actuary. She is an Accredited Trustee through the Association of Professional Pension Trustees and has worked across DB, DC, and hybrid pension arrangements as Chair, Co-Trustee and Sole Trustee. Jenny is particularly well suited to supporting smaller schemes with her technical expertise, collaborative approach and focus on cost-effective governance, and has experience leading schemes through key transition points, including corporate restructures and the full buy-in to buy-out process.

I am a partner in the Investment Team with the remit of using my Global Macro Research and past client franchise to help support LCP’s international and sovereign clients. In my previous 25 years, I have served a wide range of global institutional clients (pension funds, insurance companies, SWFs, asset managers, central banks, government treasuries, hedge funds and private equity firms).

I am an experienced Global Macro-Finance Researcher specialising in Global Macroeconomics & Demographics. My book “Demographics Unravelled” published by Wiley in Jan 2022 was mentioned by the FT as one of the best new books in Economics. I am a Research Associate at LSE’s Research Centres — the Financial Markets Group and Systemic Risk Centre, as well as a a Singapore FinTech Festival Ambassador and an elected Honorary Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.

Previously, I was Head of Global Macro Research and Senior MD at State Street Global Advisors and Chief Retirement Strategist, MD and Head of Global Demographics & Pensions Research at Credit Suisse Investment Bank. As a global EM strategist, I developed global risk & allocation models as an expert on Financial Architecture during the Asian & Russian crises.

I spent a decade in academia with a distinguished teaching career in the US and UK. I was a UK ESRC Research Fellow, Ponders Fellow, a Boston University Doctoral Scholar and a Government of India National Scholar. I have a PhD and MA in Financial Economics from the University of Iowa, an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and an undergraduate Economics with an Honours degree from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi.

Matthew first joined Spence in July 2017 as an Actuarial Placement Student. Upon successful completion of his placement, Spence offered him a graduate role with the company and agreed to sponsor his final year of study at Queen’s University Belfast.

Matthew graduated in July 2019 with a First Class Honours degree in Actuarial Science & Risk Management and returned to Spence in September 2019 as an Actuarial & Investment Trainee. Since returning, Matthew has successfully completed all of the professional actuarial exams and is now a qualified actuary. Prior to qualification, Matthew was shortlisted by Professional Pensions as the ‘Actuarial Trainee of the Year’ at the 2021 Rising Star Awards.

In 2021, Matthew was seconded to a major government actuarial body, supporting them in the onboarding of public sector pension schemes to the valuation software, Mantle. Matthew has particular expertise in using the Mantle system and provides support to colleagues within the Actuarial & Investment Function on using the software. As a qualified actuary, Matthew acts as support actuary to a number of Spence’s Scheme Actuaries across a range of trustee clients on issues including scheme funding and liability management. He is also involved in Spence’s GMP equalisation team and has worked on a number of scheme wind-ups and buy-outs. Ultimately, Matthew intends to focus on consulting with trustee and corporate clients on actuarial matters and grow his client base.

Andy leads the Client Relations, Professional Services, Actuarial and Covenant teams at TPT. In this role, he oversees the services delivered to trustees and employers, while also leading proposition development to support clients in achieving their pensions strategy. This includes spearheading the development and launch of TPT’s new whole-of-life CDC proposition.

Andy joined TPT in 2014, bringing more than a decade of management experience from leading pension consultancies, including Mercer, LCP and KPMG.

Chris is an experienced administrator and client manager for occupational pension schemes.
Chris has extensive experience in providing administration services to all types of occupational schemes as well as providing governance and secretarial services. He also has good knowledge of project management, particularly around implementation of new schemes.

Katrina and her team lead on the policy position for the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard (MHPD). They cover all aspects of the work, from ensuring compliance with dashboard requirements to maintaining strong user comprehension. The team also plays a key role in supporting effective engagement across the industry, helping to build the awareness, understanding and collaboration needed to deliver pensions dashboards successfully

David has been working in pensions and employee benefits for over 30 years. A fellow of the Pensions Management Institute (FPMI), he has experience of different types of schemes and is currently working on both defined benefit and defined contribution pension schemes, as well as advising employers on funding negotiations and pension de-risking options. Having established MHM in 2016, he is an accredited professional trustee, with MHM having both sole trustee and co-trustee appointments.

Kirsty is responsible for, and passionate about, creating products and services that make life simpler and more rewarding for our members. With years of experience turning complex ideas into clear, practical solutions, she thrives in an environment of collaboration and fresh thinking to solve hard problems.
Kirsty brings a grounded, approachable style to her work focused on listening, understanding, and delivering what really matters. Her goal is simple: to design propositions that genuinely help people and make a real difference.

David is an advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion; serving as Deputy Chair of TPR’s EDI Steering Committee and a Public Sector Equality Duty champion.
He is Director of Trusteeship, Administration & DB Supervision. A chartered accountant with over 20 years’ experience spanning pensions regulation, financial analysis, and corporate restructuring. David has led on strategic transformation across defined benefit schemes, trusteeship, and administration and has played a key role in the development of policy and guidance, most recently, the new DB Funding Regs, Code and accompanying covenant guidance. David has played a significant role in TPR’s transformation.

Frederika Roberts is an expert in Positive Psychology, Organisational Change, and Workplace Culture Improvement.
Her keynotes and workshops support the wellbeing and optimal functioning of individuals and groups across a wide range of organisational settings — from schools and universities to businesses, charities, and the public sector.
With a professional background spanning recruitment, social media marketing, and teaching, Frederika brings a unique blend of insight, energy, and practical experience to her work. Since 2013, she has delivered impactful talks and training to diverse audiences and now also lectures at postgraduate level. She is currently undertaking doctoral research into Appreciative Inquiry, a strengths-based approach to organisational change and whole-system wellbeing.
Frederika is the author of Recipe for Happiness (2013) and For Flourishing’s Sake (2020), co-author of Character Toolkit for Teachers (2018) and Character Toolkit Strength Cards (2020), and co-editor of The Big Book of Whole School Wellbeing (2022).
Whether you are planning a high-impact conference keynote or an interactive workshop, Frederika tailors each session to the specific culture and context of your organisation — ensuring lasting engagement and meaningful outcomes.
Frederika is a certified Appreciative Inquiry Practitioner whose doctoral research applies this methodology to enhance whole school wellbeing. She has also drawn on Appreciative Inquiry principles and methods to help diverse groups create common goals and action plans.
Whether you want to explore Appreciative Inquiry principles or engage Frederika to facilitate a full process, she tailors her approach to meet the unique needs of your organisation.