Launching Pensions & Incentives!

The launch follows several recent acquisitions in the UK pension services space including Inside Pensions, a leading independent occupational pension scheme governance support provider and PTL, a leading independent Pension Trustee and Governance services provider, both of which were acquired in 2021; and most recently, Caledonian Trustees Limited, a specialist provider of professional independent trustee and secretarial services to corporate pension and funeral plans. As this new offering is launched, PTL Governance Limited has adopted the ZEDRA brand and become ZEDRA Governance Limited.

ZEDRA launches this offering as the UK pension trustee and governance services sector is undergoing significant changes and facing challenges that will require dedicated effort and investment from long term owners. As the regulatory system has become increasingly complex over recent years, so has the challenge of running a pension scheme for employers and trustees alike.

The number of pension schemes requiring support is expected to continue to grow for the foreseeable future due to significantly increased regulatory and compliance burdens, a focus on end game strategies which benefit from professional trustee knowledge and understanding, and a lack of available company or member nominated trustees. With its new Pensions & Incentives offering, ZEDRA is expanding its services to meet these needs.

By entering the pension services industry now, ZEDRA strengthens its 20 years of presence in the employee incentive solutions and pension services space, providing global clients with employee benefits, trustee services, pensions and associated administrative solutions. Trustee services have always been at the heart of ZEDRA – the firm was founded in 2016 following the sale by Barclays of its UK and offshore trust business to a group of private investors, including ZEDRA’s current Executive Chairman, Bart Deconinck.

ZEDRA Pensions & Incentives Services will consist of six offices in London, Reading, Leeds, Birmingham, St Albans and Guernsey and is made up of approximately 80 specialists with plans to further expand the team with acquisitions in the near future in the UK and Europe.

Ivo Hemelraad, ZEDRA Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are delighted to further expand our service offering by boosting our presence in the UK pension space. The journey started with the acquisition of Interben Trustees Limited in 2019 followed by Inside Pensions, PTL and more recently, Caledonian Trustees, bringing us to a market-leading position for outsourced pension services in the UK pension space. Our dedicated teams with unrivalled expertise allow us to offer even greater services.”