Trustee Workbench (Edinburgh) 2026

Wendy is a senior member of Howden’s Board Management Services (BMS) team and currently heads up the team’s technical research and support group.
 
Wendy is responsible for market research, development of technical training, document templates, technical queries and internal risk processes for both Corporate Secretarial and Pensions & Executive Management Services in the BMS business area. Much of this work relies on close collaboration across business areas in order to avoid duplication of work effort and efficient pooling of knowledge to respond quickly to internal and external factors.
 
Since joining in 2023, she has been co-leading Howden’s General Code Steering Group. The team has taken a pragmatic and unique approach to the code, with the development of systems aimed at simplifying the entire process for Trustees. Having held various roles in pension scheme management, from administration to governance, Wendy's focus has been on ensuring that solutions add value and streamline efficiencies. This led to the development of award-winning CORE from Howden, the firm's ESOG/ORA governance and risk management platform.
 
Wendy is also the Charity Lead, focused on utilising the governance and secretariat expertise developed within BMS to support charity trustee boards as part of the business's broader diversification strategy. Drawing on her experience as a hospice trustee, she brings a unique perspective to this role, helping to shape and develop Howden’s overall charity proposition

24 years advising on investment strategy, portfolio construction and risk management for large institutional investors. Former founding partner and Head of Advisory at Momentum and previously a Principal in Mercer’s investment advisory team

Brian is a Senior Consultant within Aon’s Governance Specialist Team, and an Associate member of the PMI, with extensive experience supporting trustee boards and pension scheme executives on governance, risk management, and board effectiveness. He has played a key role in delivering a number of large-scale governance and effectiveness reviews for major UK pension schemes, and also acts as Secretary for a range of trustee boards

Michelle is a qualified Actuary, Client Manager and Pensions Governance specialist. Michelle works in a variety of roles within Aon supporting a diverse range of clients. One of Michelle’s primary roles is leading Aon’s Governance Specialist Team, which includes the development of Aon’s strategic governance thinking, governance tools, and solutions to support Boards. Her particular focus is on helping trustees address the challenge of evolving agendas, legislative change, risk management, and board effectiveness.”

John joined the Standard Life Centre for the Future of Retirement in April 2026 as Policy and Research Manager. He has a particular interest in conducting research in savings and retirement, and leads on our flagship Retirement Voice study.

John joined the Standard Life Centre for the Future of Retirement after spending eight years in Standard Life’s internal customer research team. In this role John led on a number of research studies that explored customer needs, perceptions and attitudes, providing insight that supported long-term business strategy and good customer outcomes. Prior to joining Standard Life John worked across several research agencies, on behalf of various public, private and third sector clients.