Trustee Workbench (London) 2025

Trustee Workbench (London) 2025

19 June 2025 | 9:00 - 13:40

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Trustee Workbench (London) 2025

PMI’s new and improved half-day workbench is designed exclusively for pension scheme trustees, offering a series of targeted training sessions on key topics relevant to their role. This focused program provides trustees valuable insights and practical knowledge to enhance their governance, compliance, and decision-making capabilities. By addressing critical areas that matter most to trustees, Trustee Workbench ensures they have the tools and understanding necessary to manage their pension schemes and fulfil their responsibilities effectively.

Places are extremely limited and reserved for PMI Trustees, we advise registering early to avoid disappointment.

If you are a non-member interested in attending, we kindly ask that you fill out this form. If any places remain nearer the time we will be in touch. If you'd like to register to become a Trustee member and secure your space today, more details can be found here.

Find details on Trustee Workbench (Edinburgh) taking place 4 November 2025, click here.

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    Fees

    PMI Trustees: Free
    Non-members: If you are interested in joining, please register your interest (details in the event description), we will contact you in April if any places are available. The non-member cost will be £375 (+VAT).
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    In-person

    event
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    5+

    trainers
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    CPD

    4

Event Details

THE BASICS

Topics of discussion:

Immersive half day program comprised of focused training style sessions. Each session is designed to deliver targeted material, fostering an action learning environment. Participants will engage in collaborative learning sets aimed at achieving specific objectives that enhance skills and knowledge.

Key features:
  • Concise and impactful: A structured morning session covering essential trustee responsibilities
  • Expert-Led learning: Sessions facilitated by leading industry professionals, regulators, and investment specialists
  • Interactive and practical: Real-world case studies, scenario-based learning, and decision-making exercises
  • Live Q&A: Direct access to industry experts for tailored advice
  • CPD-certified: Earn CPD credits to enhance your trustee knowledge
Who should attend:
  • Professional Trustees
  • Lay Trustees
The venue

Mayer Brown LLP, 201 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 3AF, London

Agenda

9:00 - 9:30
Arrivals, registration and breakfast
09:30 - 09:40
Welcome
Karen Bolan
Karen Bolan
Gallagher
Director, Retirement Communications

This welcome will outline the objective's for the day's workbench - providing practical, insightful sessions focused on what trustees need to know and consider driven by case studies and real-world scenarios.

09:40 - 10:20
A perfect storm: navigating increasing regulatory demands and complex challenges
Helen Parrott
Helen Parrott
Mayer Brown
Counsel
Esther White
Esther White
Mayer Brown
Counsel

Pension trustees play an essential role. But in today's volatile, and increasingly regulated environment Trustees must not only ensure compliance and manage risks, but also oversee strategic projects and continually anticipate future challenges. This session will explore some of those future challenges and how trustees could best manage competing demands and projects.

Key learning points:

  • Trustee duties and legal obligations
  • New regulations and compliance updates for 2025
  • Case studies on effective Governance
  • Managing conflicts of interest
  • Best practices for decision-making
10:20 - 11:00
Credit investing in 2025: How schemes can benefit from market volatility
 Bruno Bamberger, CFA
Bruno Bamberger, CFA
AXA IM
Senior Solutions Strategist

Join AXA IM for an overview of how fixed income markets have performed from Truss to Trump and how that could impact pension scheme investing today. AXA IM looks at key themes that pension schemes could consider when investing in fixed income markets today from credit spread levels, to cashflows and climate change.

Key learning points:

  • Market trends and their impact on pension schemes
  • Key investment principles Trustees should know
  • Managing inflation and market volatility
  • LDI strategies and risk management
  • Balancing growth and de-risking
11:00 - 11:15
Coffee break
11:15 - 11:50
Navigating AI in pensions: trustee responsibilities and practical insights
Ferdy Lovett
Ferdy Lovett
Sackers
Partner
Katy Harries
Katy Harries
Sackers
Associate Director

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more and more commonplace, with a recent survey finding that pension schemes are expected to have “widely adopted” AI within the next ten years.  In this practical session, we will explore how some service providers to pension schemes are already using AI and how they might use it in the future. We will work through some practical examples, highlighting how AI can impact your role as trustees, as well as considering potential risks and how to manage them.

Key learning points:

By the end of this session, you will have an understanding of how service providers to pension schemes are using AI as well as the potential benefits and risk of using AI. You will have a clear insight into your responsibilities as a trustee as they relate to the use of AI in your pension scheme and will take away some practical actions that you can be taking now to mitigate potential risks.

 

11:50 - 12:25
Engaging the unengaged: building trust, simplifying the complex and engaging to improve outcomes
Caroline Hopper
Caroline Hopper
Quietroom
Lead Consultant

Discover how to transform passive members into active participants. This session will delve into how communication can build trust, demystify complex pension concepts, and generating meaningful engagement to drive better outcomes for your members.

Key learning points:

  • Building trust with members
  • Simplifying complex pension information
  • Managing member expectations in volatile markets
12:25 - 12:45
Reflect and take action
Esther White
Esther White
Mayer Brown
Counsel
Caroline Hopper
Caroline Hopper
Quietroom
Lead Consultant
 Bruno Bamberger, CFA
Bruno Bamberger, CFA
AXA IM
Senior Solutions Strategist
Ferdy Lovett
Ferdy Lovett
Sackers
Partner
Karen Bolan
Karen Bolan
Gallagher
Director, Retirement Communications

This panel session will focus on key themes from the day's sessions and invite participants to consider what actions they will take from today into their next Trustee meeting.

12:45 - 13:45
Networking lunch

Optional lunch for attendees to continue their discussions and networking if they would like.

Recommended follow-on event
Achieving the dual objective: Positive impact on people and planet and financial returns

AXA Investment Managers would be delighted if you could join them after Trustee Workbench, on 19 June between 14:30 – 17:30, for an event that promises to be informative and enjoyable in equal measure.

 

Institutional clients are now looking at the dual objective of achieving positive financial outcomes while investing in people and planet. This event is designed for investors to discover how to achieve this, with actionable insights and real-world case studies across various asset classes.

 

Following the presentations, an expert sommelier will host a tasting session of our very own AXA wines paired with some tasty nibbles.

 

More details and registration, here.

Trainers

Hear from the experts... More information soon.

 Bruno Bamberger, CFA
Bruno Bamberger, CFA
AXA IM
- Senior Solutions Strategist

Bruno is a Senior Solutions Strategist for AXA IM in London, focussed on designing tailored fixed income mandates for institutional clients such as DB and DC pension schemes. Bruno leads the strategic implementation of Responsible Investment, predominantly climate integration and net zero alignment, in Buy and Maintain and wider fixed income mandates.

Bruno started his career at Aon Hewitt as an Investment Consultant in 2011, before moving across to the Fiduciary Management team as a portfolio manager in 2013. There, he worked for five years creating and managing fund-of-funds for Defined Benefit pension schemes including an innovative pooled solution for small pension schemes and a low risk bond fund. Bruno then worked at Wells Fargo Asset Management as an Investment Specialist, before joining AXA IM in 2020.

Bruno holds a BSc in Industrial Economics from the University of Warwick and is a CFA Charterholder.

Caroline Hopper
Caroline Hopper
Quietroom
- Lead Consultant

Caroline Hopper is a Lead Consultant at Quietroom, an insight-led communications consultancy. In her 10 years there, she’s helped asset managers communicate with investment consultants, helped fiduciary managers tell their story to trustees, and helped trustee boards talk to their members – in both the calm and the storm. Caroline’s an ambassador for the Insuring Women’s Futures programme, a CFA UK Certificate in ESG holder, and regular public speaker on the power of pensions. She also worked with Richard Curtis to set up Make My Money Matter, a campaign calling for the trillions of pounds invested in our UK pensions to build a better world.

Esther White
Esther White
Mayer Brown
- Counsel

Esther White has over 15 years’ experience advising companies and trustees on all aspects of pensions. This includes advising on pension issues arising from complex corporate re-structuring, mergers and acquisitions, de-risking and winding up. She has experience of scheme funding arrangements, contingent asset agreements, liaising with the Pensions Regulator and the PPF. She advises on scheme documentation, trustees powers and duties, legislative changes and case law developments. 

Ferdy Lovett
Ferdy Lovett
Sackers
- Partner

Ferdy Lovett is a partner at specialist pensions law firm Sackers. He advises trustee and employer clients from a wide range of industries on technical and strategic matters.  He understands the perspectives of different stakeholders in pension projects and the need to work collaboratively to get the end results desired. A keen follower of initiatives that support access to and engagement with pensions, Ferdy has particular expertise in auto-enrolment, master trusts and the legal aspects of pension dashboards – supporting clients in the digitalisation of the pensions landscape.

Helen Parrott
Helen Parrott
Mayer Brown
- Counsel

Helen Parrott advises trustees and employers on all aspects of pensions law including documentation, administration, disputes and funding. She also has experience of advising trustees on the employer's covenant in relation to corporate activity and insolvency with particular experience of scheme mergers as well as investment issues including advice for trustees on establishing a common investment fund.

Helen joined Mayer Brown in 2007.

Katy Harries
Katy Harries
Sackers
- Associate Director

Katy Harries is an associate director at Sackers. She sits in the firm’s Know-how team, having been a client-facing lawyer for over ten years. In her current role, she focuses on keeping both clients and colleagues up to date with all relevant developments affecting the pensions industry. Katy has a particular interest in AI in pensions, and how it can be utilised by members as well as trustees. Additionally, Katy is passionate about pensions dashboards and is committed to improving equality, diversity, and inclusion within the pensions sector.

Karen Bolan
Karen Bolan
Gallagher
- Director, Retirement Communications

Thank you to our sponsors and partners for their continued support

Mayer Brown
Mayer Brown
Host
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Sackers
Sackers
Insight Partner
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AXA Investment Managers
AXA Investment Managers
Sponsor
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