Pensions Conference 2020

John Breedon, Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries

With over twenty five years of experience, John has held senior roles at a number of consulting firms, working as a Scheme Actuary, a corporate actuary and latterly within Investment Consulting providing risk advice. John has led a corporate consulting business as well as leading two investment consulting businesses. John is Head of Strategic, Asset and Risk Solutions at Buck. John holds a BSc in Mathematics, an MSc in Pure Mathematics (both from Sheffield University) and an MBA from the Open University.

Catherine Donnelly, Heriot Watt University. 

After Catherine's undergraduate degree at the University of Cambridge, she worked for several years in the pensions industry in the U.K. in both pensions and investment consultancy roles.

Catherine returned to university to do a Masters degree at the University of Oxford, followed by a PhD at the University Of Waterloo, Canada. After a couple of years as a postdoctoral researcher at RiskLab, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, Catherine took up a lecturing position at Heriot-Watt in 2011.

David Gordon, Senior Review Actuary at the IFoA heading up the Actuarial Review Team. 

David joined the IFoA at the start of 2020 with over 30 years’ experience in the pensions industry.  He has worked with Willis Towers Watson throughout his career advising numerous UK pension schemes and their sponsors on how best to deliver funding, investment and risk management.  Alongside client work, David provided guidance to colleagues worldwide on best practice and professional issues.  He was Willis Towers Watson's Senior Quality Assurance Representative under the IFoA's Quality Assurance Scheme.  David was voted the Actuarial Post's Pensions Actuary of the Year 2016.

Tim Jiblonski, Product Director, EValue

Tim is currently Product Director at EValue, having joined in 2010 as Consultant Actuary.  Since then, Tim has worked with some of the UK's largest financial services companies, as well as start-ups, to help them deliver personal and engaging digital advice and guidance.  He is currently responsible for the specification and prioritisation of new and existing propositions at EValue, as well as providing key actuarial oversight across the organisation.

Tim chairs the “Drawdown Strategies, Modelling Tools and Consumer Communications” Working Party for the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.

Judith Joy, Regulatory Lawyer in the General Counsel directorate of the IFoA.

Judith is responsible for drafting and maintaining standards, guidance and other material with the purpose of regulating the profession in the public interest. She currently manages the review of the CPD Scheme, the regulatory working party considering CDC Pension Schemes, and the IFoA’s Designated Professional Body Regime.

Lisa McCrory, Chief Finance Officer at the Pension Protection Fund (PPF)

Lisa McCrory was appointed as Chief Finance Officer at the PPF in February 2020. She joined the PPF in March 2009, and has been the Pension Protection Fund’s Chief Actuary since September 2018. Before this, she was Head of the Actuarial Financial Management Team.

She is responsible for providing actuarial advice to the Board on the PPF’s Funding Strategy, making sure that any assumptions we make are appropriate and consistent, and for signing the annual valuation of the fund for the Annual Report and Accounts.

Mark Williams, Principal & London Retirement Practice Leader, Buck

Mark is Principal and London Practice Leader Buck, having previously worked at WTW and PWC. He is a Scheme Actuary and senior corporate adviser, advising on matters such as scheme funding, member options and legislative change. 

Mark is also Chair of the Pensions Board at the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and represents the I&FoA on the industry GMP Equalisation Working Group (endorsed by PASA and TPR). He pioneered the IFoA’s “Savings Goals for Retirement” initiative to enhance adequacy of DC schemes. 

Mark has written articles and been quoted in a range of publications, including Professional Pensions, Pensions Expert, Pensions Age, FT Adviser and the Daily Express.