In Good Company

Consultants

Mark Stocker has joined Buck Consultants as principal and senior consulting actuary from Lane Clark & Peacock, while Anna Marie Detert becomes head of Buck’s human capital and communication practice in the UK joining from Towers Perrin.

Alexander Forbes Trustee Services has promoted Darren Toms to associate director with responsibility to develop the company’s defined contribution (DC) proposition.

Mercer has appointed Craig Burnett as DC consulting leader for Europe. Craig was previously a global client manager at Mercer which he joined five years ago. Steve Charlton joins Mercer from Punter Southall as a principal within its retirement business, specialising in DC pensions, while Steve Jenkins becomes product development leader and a principal in Mercer’s outsourcing business. Joining from Reuters, Kevin Small has also been appointed as a principal and online services product manager.

Tony Morgan has joined Mercer’s UK outsourcing business as a principal and head of client management. He was previously head of flexible benefits at KPMG.

JLT Benefit Solutions has appointed Des Hogan as a senior consultant in its London office covering the South East region.

Hewitt Associates has appointed Colin Bullen to its retirement consulting practice in the UK.

Richard Strachan and Tom Clark, who both previously worked for Standard Life, join the Aon Consulting benefit solutions team in Scotland as consultants.

Capita Hartshead has appointed Terry Ritchie, who brings 30 years’ experience to the firm, to lead its management consultancy practice.

Steve Power, formerly a consultant at Lane Clark & Peacock, moves to Xafinity Consulting as director, business development, in its Reading office.

Law

Sacker & Partners, the specialist pensions law firm, has promoted associates David Saunders and Robin Simmons to partners. Other promotions include the naming of four new associates: Eleanor Daplyn; Caroline Legg; Stuart O’Brien and Sarah Phillips.

Senior pensions lawyer Christine Johnston has joined Bevan Brittan’s city office as an associate after a spell at the Northampton office of Hewitsons.

Christine, who has also previously worked at Maclay Murray & Spens and Baker & McKenzie, will now lead the specialist pensions team, part of Bevan Brittan’s national employment practice.

Insurance

The ABI (Association of British Insurers) has appointed Huw Evans as its director of corporate affairs. Huw joins the ABI from the Royal Bank of Scotland group, where he was a senior member of the Group Strategy team, following work as a special adviser to the prime minister and in the Home Office.

MetLife Assurance has appointed Dan DeKeizer, a senior MetLife executive, as chief executive officer of its UK pension liability transfer business, which includes bulk annuity buyouts.

Gary Crofts has been appointed as managing director of Lucida Re.

stephanie.hawthorne@lexisnexis.co.uk

Pickering joins BESTrustees

Alan Pickering will be leaving Watson Wyatt in January 2009 to succeed Charles Woodward as chairman of BESTrustees. In addition to his role as chairman, Alan hopes to take on a number of trusteeships on behalf of BESTrustees.

Alan commented: “I have been advising trustees for most of my career so it’s exciting that I’m about to become one. Charles is a hard act to follow and I am sure that I will benefit from his wise counsel.”

Mark Stewart, head of the European Benefits Group at Watson Wyatt, said: “Alan has made an invaluable contribution to Watson Wyatt and to the wider world of pensions during his 16 years with the firm.”

Dasgupta to stand down as CEO

After four and half years at the helm, Partha Dasgupta, chief executive of the Pension Protection Fund, will stand down in June 2009.

He said: “This has been the most enjoyable, challenging and rewarding job of my career. It has been a great privilege to lead this organisation with its exceptionally talented and committed people. It has also been a privilege to have helped shape the UK’s pension protection regime that is now delivering real security in retirement for 12m pension scheme members.”

PPF chairman, Lawrence Churchill, added: “Partha has made an outstanding contribution to establishing and developing the Pension Protection Fund to the strong position it commands today.”