Speakers V-Z

Chris Curry

Chris Curry
Research Director
Pensions Policy Institute

Chris joined the PPI in July 2002, from the Association of British Insurers where he had been Senior Economist. Prior to this, Chris was an Economic Adviser at the Department of Social Security (now the Department for Work and Pensions).

Work at the DSS included analytical support for the Pension Provision Group, and working on the subsequent Pensions Green Paper published in December 1998. After working as part of the Poverty and Social Exclusion Team, Chris joined the ABI in August 2000, where his pension background led to work on the analysis of stakeholder pensions, the Pension Credit and annuities.

At the PPI Chris has overseen development of the PPI’s unique pensions modelling capability, and has authored and presented a number of research reports analysing pensions (both state and private), pension reform and personal accounts.

Alistair Byrne

Alistair Byrne
Fellow of the Pensions Institute
Cass Business School

Alistair is a senior lecturer in finance at the University of Edinburgh and a Fellow of the Pensions Institute at Cass Business School, London. His research and consulting interests focus on pension scheme design and pension fund investment. Prior to joining academia in 2003, Alistair spent ten years at AEGON Asset Management UK in various roles, including Head of Investment Strategy and Head of Equity Research. Alistair is a CFA charterholder and has published research in a number of academic and professional journals including the Financial Analysts Journal.

Kate Richards

Partner, Pensions
Nabarro

Kate is a partner in the pensions team at Nabarro. She specialises in advising companies and pension trustees on the formation, operation and winding up of pension schemes as well as scheme mergers, reorganisations and the pension aspects of corporate transactions. Kate also has experience in advising upon investment management and custody agreements, drafting pensions documentation, dealing with Pensions Ombudsman complaints and pensions litigation. Kate is a member of the APL Investment Committee and is a regular speaker at pensions seminars and trustee training courses.

Andy Corvesor

Andy Corvesor
Consultant
Hewitt

Andy is one of Hewitt’s most highly regarded consultants and blends an incredible breadth of knowledge with a down-to-earth and practical consulting style. Recently a board director at a client commented that he was not like any actuary they had ever met!

What makes Andy so unique is his ability to blend his years of experience leading the thinking on
actuarial, financing and risk issues, with a drive to solving clients’ problems and a lifelong passion for technology. Indeed, Andy specialises in using the latest modelling techniques to give clear, focussed, added value advice to his clients.

In the past Andy has been a Scheme Actuary to several large schemes, but now mainly focuses on giving strategic financing and risk advice to corporates. He has held several management positions within Hewitt and currently leads our R &D and technology efforts in the UK. He also helps lead the team of senior consultants drawn from both our retirement and investment groups who now specialise in giving integrated strategic risk advice within our Global Risk Services offer.

Andy maintains a portfolio of clients who value him for his insightful advice, but as a result of his other roles he has an unrivalled oversight of the state of the UK pensions market and all the latest ideas and solutions.

Andy has been with Hewitt (and before that Bacon & Woodrow) for over 17 years. He has a first class degree in mathematics and qualified as an actuary in 1994. He is kept normal by his teacher wife and their four children.

Philip Dickinson

Philip Dickinson
Pension Systems Director
Aon Consulting

Philip Dickinson is the Pension Systems Director of Aon Consulting.

He joined Aon in December 1997 after 10 years with Mercers. Philip’s role has always focused on the implementation of new business, but in recent years he has also concentrated on the selection and then implementation of the aquila administrator system in Aon. Philip also has responsibility for the development and deployment of clients onto the PensionLine2 web application.

Jerry Edmondson

Jerry Edmondson
Jardine Lloyd Thompson
Head of Benefit Communications

Jerry Edmondson has over 20 years experience in the pensions and benefits arena.

For most of this time Jerry has specialised in employee and benefits communication, working with a number of the UK's leading companies to design, develop and deliver effective, and even award-winning, communication campaigns. With particular expertise in communicating pensions change and flexible benefits, Jerry joined Jardine Lloyd Thompson as Head of Benefit Communications in October 2008 from another major consultancy where his clients included British Airways, Lafarge, BMW and the BBC.

Jerry is a member of the International Association of Business Communicators and the British Association of Communicators in Business.

Michelle Edkins

Michelle Edkins
Managing Director
GO

Michelle Edkins is responsible for GO’s governance and engagement (stewardship) services and the policies that underlie them, working with clients and other institutional investors on a range of governance issues. Prior to joining GO, Michelle spent over 8 years at Hermes Pensions Management, initially as the head of the corporate governance team and latterly as Director of Institutional Relations. She is an active participant in the public corporate governance debate and regularly speaks and writes on the importance of good stewardship for company performance. She is an economist by training and previously worked for New Zealand’s central bank and the British High Commission in Wellington.