Independent Trustee

Our independent trustees provide direction and reassurance to your trustee board

Boards of trustees and scheme sponsors can benefit from having a professional independent trustee on the board, either as chair or an employer nominated trustee.  Our knowledge, skills, and experience of acting as trustee for many varied DB schemes over many years means we can provide insight, guidance and leadership that assists and provides reassurance with faster decision making. 

We specialise in trustee services for smaller schemes, ensuring they are run efficiently and cost-effectively. We offer an objective voice that provides reassurance to members and is unconflicted in discussions with the employer and other stakeholders.  

Building blocks

  • Experienced professional independent trustees
  • Highly qualified experts with years of experience
  • Strong personal relationships with co-trustees and scheme sponsor
  • Reassurance to scheme members
  • Ensuring continuity and stability in scheme management
  • Acting as sole trustee, chair of trustees or co-trustee
  • Assistance to Insolvency Practitioners with defined contribution and life assurance schemes

Our experience covers many situations that some trustee boards may be experiencing for the first time
such as:

  1. Employer-led liability management schemes
  2. Sale of the principal employer, corporate restructuring
  3. Solvent wind-up
  4. Buy-ins and partial buy-outs
  5. Negotiating charges with the sponsor

CASE STUDY

Scenario:  A client with a DB scheme was selling the business to another company. The purchasing company was open to taking on the scheme but the existing trustee wished to resign, having no experience of corporate transactions. A flexible apportionment arrangement (FAA) was proposed for the pension scheme.

What Atkin did:  From day one, Atkin was heavily involved in understanding the scheme’s funding position, the liability profile and the change in covenant that would occur when the company was sold.  Atkin held regular calls, often daily, with the Directors and legal advisers of both seller and purchaser, which ensured that all parties understood the desired end results (for all) and timescales. Negotiation took place on the security that could be provided for the pension scheme.

Result:  The sale took place in the required timescale and the pension Scheme received additional security by way of a bank letter of credit, together with increased Recovery Plan contributions, which the purchaser was able to provide without encumbering their growth plans or ongoing trading. Following the FAA, the purchaser decided to retain Atkin as ongoing sole independent trustee.