On the 10th October, Pensions Managers gathered together to challenge the Regulator, following the publication of their governance survey last month.

Earlier this week, Justin Wray from The Pensions Regulator joined eShare for the latest eShare Governance Forum to discuss issues including:
• Scheme transparency and communications
• Internal controls and risk management
• Conflicts of interest

The forum follows the Regulator’s governance survey which was published in September. The idea of their survey was to build on the Regulators existing work and provide “an authoritative contribution to the governance debate.”

The latest eShare Governance Forum was held for a variety of different reasons. Firstly, to allow the Pensions Managers to discuss the important issues currently affecting their schemes directly with the industries governing body. Secondly, it provides the Regulator with constructive feedback. Thirdly, the forum acts as a tool to help eShare fulfil their objective of improving Pensions Governance.

“It’s unusual for pensions managers to get together informally and share experiences and opinions on governance issues,” says Alister Esam, Managing Director of eShare. “We created a true forum with eShare acting purely as a facilitator, and everyone is encouraged to make an equal contribution to the debate.”

“With the Regulator joining the forum, it enhances what we are trying to achieve, a place where we can all work together with the aim of improving pensions governance.”

“The eShare event was a well-run and useful event,” said Justin Wray at The Pensions Regulator. “It provided the Regulator with a valuable insight into the governance issues faced by schemes.”

“It is now important to view the repercussions from the forum. With the code of practice on internal controls due for publication, it will be interesting to see if the pensions manager’s comments and feedback have been taken into consideration.

To follow up on the forums conclusions, eShare will be holding their next Governance Forum towards the end of the year to discuss any industry developments.

People who are interested in joining the eShare Governance Forum should visit www.eShareUK.com or call 0845 200 7829

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