Case Studies

Elusive returns over the past few years have led many pension schemes to look to alternative investments. Croydon Pension Fund is hoping infrastructure will provide the right results over the long term

Property constitutes 7.5 per cent of the Church of England pension fund’s growth assets, but its faith in overseas markets in particular has led it to target a 10 per cent allocation.

Cadbury Pension Fund has decided to hedge approximately a fifth of its assets to manage the impact of interest rate and inflation changes on its pension promises.

Video: Railpen's Deborah Gilshan explains how the pension fund works with its managers on "governance risks and opportunities" in its portfolio, while Iain Richards of Threadneedle Investments sets out how schemes can beef up their oversight, in the latest PW Review (4:59).

The £1.9bn Pearl Group Staff Pension Scheme has renegotiated a series of funding conditions with its sponsor to improve security, reflecting greater innovation in how schemes are protecting members’ benefits.

Aircraft service company SR Technics UK’s pension scheme has secured benefits of around 20 per cent above what members would have got through the Pension Protection Fund, by investing in matched assets and improving its data.

The household and health products company’s scheme has made a series of changes to its communications as part of a drive to encourage younger and lower-paid members to put away more for their retirement.

Diageo Pension Scheme has scrapped the time limit on the service of its member-nominated directors to avoid a talent drain, as schemes balance members’ democratic rights with continuity in decision-making.

British Airways has seen steady take-up of its new flexible retirement option since it was introduced in October to provide members with better flexibility in how they access their workplace savings.

The £1.6bn Superannuation Arrangements of the University of London has decided to suspend members from transferring in their old private sector pensions to manage the risk and cost of regulatory changes, including auto-enrolment.