APL Conference 2025
Leeds

Michael Aherne

Michael is a partner in the Pensions Team at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, advising on a broad range of issues for both trustee and sponsor clients.

Karina Brooks

I have been advising on covenant for over 20 years now and lead the national EY Pensions covenant advisory practice. I advise trustees, corporates, investors and government on pensions & covenant and I enjoy advising in complex cases big or small, often through a transaction or restructuring. I am a past chair of the Employer Covenant Practitioners Association which was somewhat inspired by the APL. I also co-lead a cross industry professional women in pensions network alongside Sam Brown (HSFK) which is now in its ninth successful year.

Edward Brown

Charles Cameron

Charles first came across post retirement benefits as a trainee when he read an article which noted that General Motors spent more per car made on post retirement healthcare benefits than steel. Interesting moments in my career: did “retirement at the employer’s request” include compulsory redundancy (AGCO – lost at HC; won 2:1 at CA – judge score 50:50)); INEOS deciding not to restart Grangemouth after receiving notice of a strike over DB closure; the outcome of the GKN shareholder vote on Melrose’s hostile bid (accepted 52:48); the DWP consultation on waiving S67 for the BSPS pre 1997 increase rule ending on the day of the Brexit vote (same percentage).

Jonathan Gilmour

Jonathan is a Finance partner who heads the Derivatives and Structured Products Group at Travers Smith. He advises pension scheme clients on investment strategies, hedging, risk management, funding, covenant and insured solutions. He also advises investment and asset managers and financial institutions.

Jonathan regularly advises on complex funding arrangements (including investment strategies) as well as de-risking. His experience includes buy-ins, buy-outs, LDI mandates, derivatives, longevity insurance, the use of reservoir trusts, stock loans and repos, clearing arrangements, investment management agreements and custody arrangements.

Jonathan is an industry leader on ESG and stewardship in the pensions sector and is a member of the panel advising the Impact Investing Institute on ESG and trustees' fiduciary duties and on pension scheme investment in Green Gilts.

Jonathan is rated as a 'Leading Individual' by both Chambers and Legal 500 UK, and 'Highly Regarded' by the IFLR. He chairs the Association of Pension Lawyers (APL) Investment & DC Committee and is a member of the Society of Pension Professionals (SPP) Investment Committee. He is also Treasurer of the PMI London Group.

Mark Grant

Dana Grey

Jonathan Hilliard KC

Jonathan advises and litigate regularly on pensions restructuring, other corporate pensions issues, moral hazard concerns, RPI and CPI issues and other similar points. He acts in rectification claims and in the compromises of complex pensions disputes, and has appeared before the Court of Justice of the European Union in the Hampshire v PPF litigation. Chambers and Partners ranks him in band 1, describing him as a "powerhouse" and stating that "[h]e sees things that others don't".

Louise Howard

Louise Howard, is the Chief Legal Officer at Universities Superannuation Scheme (Ltd), one of the largest pension schemes in the UK managing assets of around £75.5bn to help 330 universities and higher education institutions in the UK build a secure financial future for 528,000 members. Louise’s team of 20 in house counsel oversee all aspects of legal risk management across the pensions, investment, and group businesses.

Rachel Hunter

Rachel's first introduction to pensions law was sitting with co-speaker Charles Cameron as a trainee - and somehow it didn't put her off. Since then she's developed a multi-specialist practice covering pensions and employment law. Her recent pensions highlights include advising the trustee of the BBC Pension Scheme on the High Court and Court of Appeal proceedings regarding the power of amendment in the scheme rules, advising on the pensions aspects of the sale of Portakabin to Antin Infrastructure Partners and advising on the pensions aspects of the combination between Dowlais Group plc and American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc.

Miriam Kimber

Miriam joined the PPF in 2009 and runs the legal team day-to-day. She won Lawyer of the Year at the Women in Pensions Awards 2023 and was Highly Commended in the same category in 2024. She volunteers as a moot judge for the charity BVL, is a trustee of a music charity that champions composers from underrepresented groups, and is a member of the Conduct in Sport panel for Cricket Scotland.

Carly Kisanga

Carly is the head of the legal pensions team at Smart Pension. Carly works closely with the Smart Pension Master Trust and has worked on three master trust to master trust consolidations. Carly has been at Smart for four years and before that was in private practise at Linklaters for over 14 years. Carly joined the APL Investment & DC sub-committee in January.

Iain MacKenzie

Victoria Mance

Jennifer Miles

Sarah Opie

Sarah Opie is a counsel in the Linklaters pensions group, advising trustees and corporates on contentious and non-contentious matters. She has experience in both de-risking transactions and pensions disputes. Her de-risking experience includes buy-ins (including residual risk transactions), buy-outs and longevity swaps. Her pensions disputes experience includes addressing historic errors in scheme rules, considering amendment power restrictions, and advising on issues arising in connection with discretionary increases. Sarah is a member of the APL Dispute Resolution Committee.

Elizabeth Ovey

Elizabeth is a member of Radcliffe Chambers and first became involved with pensions law as a result of the 1985 miners' strike. Some 40 years on it is a major part of her practice. Her clients include trustees, employers and individual members and the issues on which she advises include points of construction, possible rectification claims, scheme funding, trustees' duties and professional negligence claims. She is a contributor to Lexis PSL pension notes and Halsbury's Laws. She also sits as a fee-paid judge of the Administrative Appeals Chamber of the Upper Tribunal.

Helen Quarrell

My career has been in-house with 14 years at L&G followed by five at Fidelity and now nearly two at Coutts. I’ve covered all sorts of financial services in my career, but the focus has always been on pensions, either servicing schemes directly or creating products to be used by pension schemes. Currently my focus is workplace and personal DC schemes. I joined the APL Investments and DC Committee in 2018. Outside of work my children and the local Guide unit (which I have run for over 20 years) ensure my house is never tidy and frequently covered in random craft equipment.

Helen Rowan

Helen Rowan is a Senior Counsel at Sackers with nearly 20 years' experience in the pensions industry. Helen currently leads the day-to-day advisory work for a number of large DB and hybrid schemes as well as various risk transfer projects.

Sarah Swift

Sarah started out, accidentally, as a pensions lawyer at Freshfields in January 1999 where the issue of the day was who owned the surplus. After 12 years there (watching surpluses change into deficits) she then spent 13 years as a pensions partner at Eversheds Sutherland where she is now reflecting on the cyclical nature of surplus fashions. On a serious note, Sarah advises a mix of very large DB/DC schemes from both a trustee and employer perspective, has spent a large amount of time over the past 6 years advising on large-scale projects involving surplus and is now coming to the end of a very enjoyable four year term sitting on the Main Committee of the APL.

Thomas Trennery

Tom is Head of Legal (Workplace Savings) and Chief of Staff to the CEO, DC & Workplace Savings at L&G. He trained and qualified into the pensions team at DLA Piper before joining L&G.

Michael Uberoi

Michael is an experienced pensions litigator who is described in the 2026 directories as a “tough opponent who is hugely respected.”  He has significant experience of issues involving rectification and collateral contracts (Univar v Smith, Viavi Solutions), equalisation and construction (Safeway v Newton), and professional negligence proceedings arising from pensions matters (much of Michael’s work in this field is confidential). He also has significant experience of matters involving the Regulator, having acted both for and against the Regulator (Pelgrave v TPR). He has particular experience of, and interest in, the interplay of pensions and financial services law (for example in relation to the regulation of investment institutions or SIPP operators, and the overall application of the FCA Rules and Guidance in the pensions marketplace). He is ranked as a leading junior in both Pensions and Financial Services (in which he is ranked Band 1). In 2025, Michael won the award for ‘Financial Services and Insurance Junior of the Year’ at the Legal 500 Bar awards.

Clive Weber

Clive advises on all aspects of UK pensions law, drawing on over 45 years’ experience as a pensions’ lawyer. His expertise includes pension issues for employers, trustees and members. Originally a private client lawyer, Clive founded Wedlake Bell's pension practice and still much enjoys pensions law both as a Consultant with Wedlake Bell and as a member of the APL's Legislative & Parliamentary Sub - Committee. Career highlights include a secondment to DWP Policy in relation to the employer debt legislation. Clive is one of the Editors of Sweet & Maxwell's "Law of Pension Schemes" and is on the Editorial Board of Lexis Pensions.

Vanessa Wells

Vanessa is a Partner at Eversheds Sutherland with over 20 years' experience in pensions, including time spent at the Pensions Regulator. Vanessa advises both employer and trustee clients in relation to large DB schemes, and supports insurer clients with due diligence on risk transfer exercises. Over the last 3 years, Vanessa has advised on a number of complex surplus utilisation exercises from both the employer and the trustee perspective and has been a regular speaker on the topic at various industry events. Vanessa sits on the APL's International sub-committee.

Ian Wright

Liam Young

Liam is a partner in the Pensions Team at the independent Scottish law firm, Burness Paull LLP. He advises employers, trustees and providers on every aspect of UK pensions law and is a director of the firm’s independent trustee company. He has particular expertise in complaints and disputes, resolving documentation and equalisation issues, scheme de-risking strategies and wind-up journeys, the pensions aspects of corporate transactions, the employer debt regime and the pensions and regulatory implications of corporate insolvencies and restructurings.