The Association of Professional Pension Trustees has revealed who is taking over as co-chairs from Rachel Croft for the next two years, starting on 21 October when the APPT is holding its annual general meeting.  

Council members Julia Yates from Vidett and Christopher Wheeler at Bestrustees have been elected to share the post as co-chairs, the APPT said on Monday. They succeed Croft from Independent Governance Group and vice chair Vassos Vassou from Dalriada Trustees, who have both completed their terms in office as council members.   

Yates is chair, co-trustee and part of sole trustee teams across a range of benefit structures and scheme sizes, and chairs Vidett’s Trustee Oversight Board. Before becoming a professional trustee in 2019, she led PwC's covenant practice in the Midlands.  

Wheeler joined Bestrustees in 2016 after an executive career in international banking, finance, human resources, M&A and risk and governance. He currently chairs a number of UK schemes with assets of up to £12bn and membership of up to 170,000.   

The fact the chair role is now shared reflects "the considerable increase in workload faced by a growing association", the APPT said, adding that it has more than doubled in size over the past few years.  

It currently counts more than 460 members and is continuing to grow following the introduction of its accreditation programme for professional trustees from 2020. The APPT also sets the standards for accredited professional trustees and created a code of practice for Professional Corporate Sole Trustees.   

Wheeler said he and Yates will aim to build on the APPT's foundations. “Our focus will be on maintaining and raising the highest standards of professional trusteeship, while ensuring that the APPT is an authoritative and constructive voice with regulators, government, sponsoring employers and the wider pensions industry. We also want to demonstrate clearly the value that professional trustees can bring to effective governance and better outcomes for schemes and their members," he said. 

Yates said: “Over the next two years, we want to ensure that the APPT continues to support its members in meeting that responsibility and that the profession remains responsive to the changing needs of schemes and their members. We will focus on continuing to develop the skills, standards and professionalism of our members as well as encouraging those with diverse experience and strengths to join the profession.”  

Outgoing chair Croft said: “Government has continued to examine our sector and, alongside TPR, the role trustees and our members play in securing and enhancing members’ benefits and that will no doubt continue to be the case as we await the publication of the DWP response to the Trusteeship and Governance consultation and longer-term reforms that may flow from the Pensions Commission.” 

At the APPT’s AGM, Amanda Banister from Dalriada and Kate Hardingham from IGG will be newly joining the council. The remaining council members are Tova Docherty (Capital Cranfield), Kim Nash (Zedra), Sarah Marshall (Pi Partners) and James Rickards (LawDeb).