Pensions World

Pensions World keeps you up to date with the latest news of hires and flyers

Star Moves - ABI appoints Otto Thoresen as director general

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has appointed Otto Thoresen as its new director general taking over from acting director general, Maggie Craig.

Otto Thoresen is currently chief executive of Aegon UK and a member of the Board of Management of AEGON NV.

Commenting on his appointment, Otto said: “I am incredibly excited about taking on this challenge and representing all parts of the insurance industry at this critical time.”

He has served on the board of the ABI since 2005, most recently as a deputy chairman and chairman of its life insurance committee and audit committee.

Otto was born and brought up in Buckie in North East Scotland. After graduating from Aberdeen University with a first class honours degree in mathematics and statistics in 1978, he joined Scottish Equitable. A Fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries, Otto has held a series of senior marketing roles at Abbey Life, Royal Insurance and was a managing director at Royal Life International, before returning to Scottish Equitable (then owned by AEGON) in 1994, becoming its finance director in 2000.

Otto is also a member of the Financial Services Authority Financial Capability Steering Group and chairman of the Personal Finance Education Group.

Consultants

Martin Slack, senior partner at Lane Clark & Peacock (LCP), retires on 31 March 2011. He will be succeeded by Bob Scott who has been with the firm since 1982.

Martin, aged 61, has worked at LCP for his entire professional career. He joined from Cambridge University in 1970, qualified as a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries in 1972 and was made a partner in 1975.

During his time with LCP, Martin served as a member of the Occupational Pensions Board (1992–7) and chairman of the Association of Consulting Actuaries (1998–2000). He will continue to work with LCP on a consultancy basis.

JLT Benefit Solutions (JLT) has appointed Malcolm Paul as chairman of JLT Employee Benefits Scotland. Malcolm’s previous role within JLT was as executive director in the trustee solutions business.

Emma Douglas has joined Mercer as UK leader for Mercer Workplace Savings from BlackRock where she was head of DC sales from 2007.

KPMG pensions partner, Gurmukh Hayre, will lead KPMG DC Solutions. Gurmukh has over 25 years of pensions experience, including 20 with KPMG.

PensionsFirst has made three senior hires: Matthew Furniss and Robert Heathcoat, who join from Punter Southall, and Chris Hoffman, who previously worked for the Pension Protection Fund. All join as assistant vice presidents.

Pension schemes

SAUL (the Superannuation Arrangements of the University of London) Trustee Company has promoted Kim Brooks to deputy chief executive. She has worked with SAUL as head of benefits since 2007.

Civil Service

Dr Dermot Grenham has been appointed as chief actuary for the social security, demography and overseas pension division at the Government Actuary’s Department (GAD). He was previously a deputy chief actuary in GAD’s insurance division.

Technology

Robin Ellison, former chairman of the National Association of Pension Funds and current partner at law firm Pinsent Masons, has joined the executive advisory board of SRL Global, a technology partner to the investment community and pension funds, endowments and large family offices.

Service standards

Investor in Customers, the service standards specialist, has appointed leading pensions industry personality and self-invested personal pension expert John Moret as its non-executive chairman.

Moving on? If you are changing jobs or climbing up the ladder, send an email to stephanie Hawthorne, editor, stephanie.hawthorne@lexisnexis.co.uk