Speakers
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Danny Meehan Proposition Director, Cushon
Danny is Cushon’s Proposition Director, responsible for leading Cushon’s award-winning proposition, delivering 21stcentury pensions and wider savings to its members. Prior to working at Cushon, Danny held senior roles at KPMG, Towers Watson and Capita, advising some of the UK’s largest companies on DC pensions and financial wellbeing strategies.
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Sarah Smart Chair, The Pensions Regulator
Sarah was appointed Chair of The Pensions Regulator in June 2021. She is an experienced Non-executive Director and Independent Trustee. She is a qualified Chartered Accountant and has held a portfolio of non-executive and advisory positions. She was a member of the Board, Senior Independent Director and Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee of TPR from 2016 to 2021.
Sarah has spent over 20 years in the pensions industry in a variety of different roles. She was Chair of TPT Retirement Solutions from 2010 to 2018, has worked with both London Pensions Fund Authority and Lothian Pension Fund, was an independent member of the Investment and Funding Committee for Unilever UK Pension Fund and chaired the Financial Times Pensions Governance Committee. Outside of pensions Sarah has been closely involved in social investment, sitting on the boards of both Social Investment Scotland and Big Society Capital, where she was also Chair of the Audit Committee. She also chaired the Audit Committee of UK Athletics.
Prior to moving to a portfolio career, Sarah worked in the investment management industry. She spent nine years with Standard Life Investments and was latterly responsible for developing and managing liability-driven and absolute return investment solutions for institutional investors. Sarah is highly respected within the pensions industry and has won many accolades for her innovative approach to pensions.
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Rona Train Partner, Hymans Robertson
Rona is a Partner and Senior DC Consultant at Hymans Robertson. She has been with the firm for 18 years, having previously spent 18 years in fund management. She works with a range of DC clients including single trust schemes and Governance Committees of master trust and contract-based arrangements. Rona won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the UK Pensions Awards in 2021 having been named Adviser of the Year in 2018 and Role Model of the Year in 2020. She also sits on the industry-wide DC Governance Group and the Security of DC Assets Working Party. Rona is a regular blogger and known for her sometimes controversial views on DC issues.
