APL Conference 2024
Brussels

Dominic Harris

The Pensions Ombudsman

Dominic is the Pensions Ombudsman and PPF Ombudsman, having been appointed by the Secretary of State with effect from 16 January 2023 for a five-year term. Before his appointment he spent over 20 years in private practice. Immediately prior to taking up his appointment he was the chair of the APL’s Investment & DC Committee.

Seb Allen

Wilberforce Chambers

Sebastian is a leading commercial chancery barrister specialising in pensions and associated professional negligence claims.

He has acted in relation to many of the largest and most high-profile pensions schemes, both in the private and public sector, and has extensive advocacy experience in a wide-range pensions and pensions regulatory matters.

Chris Sharpe

Slaughter and May

Chris advises sponsors, trustees and insurers on a broad range of transactional, advisory and contentious pensions matters. He has particular experience in solving pensions issues on public and private M&A transactions and complex corporate restructurings, managing issues in relation to pension scheme funding deficits and pensions de-risking. He is also advising Royal Mail on the launch of their CDC scheme.

Chris can't do the leg kick for breaststroke.

Derek Benstead

First Actuarial

Derek works for First Actuarial LLP, where he advises the trustees of seven pension schemes, advises employers negotiating with pension trustees on funding and investment and advises unions negotiating with employers on pensions. Derek first developed his thinking on Collective DC in 1997 and in 2003 helped a client introduce a flexible DB scheme which uses variable annual increases as a lever of funding control. He provided pensions advice to the Communication Workers Union in their negotiations with Royal Mail. Derek is Head of CDC at First Actuarial and a member of the IFOA’s CDC working party.

Dawn Heath

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Dawn is a pensions partner at Freshfields. She advises across a full range of pensions issues, with a particular emphasis on pensions issues on corporate transactions and employer distress, complex scheme funding/covenant support arrangements and de-risking/managing surplus. She is the current chair of the APL Legislative and Parliamentary sub-committee, having served on that sub-committee for a number of years and having previously served on the Investment sub-committee (as it was then called).

In her spare time, Dawn is a keen Morris dancer and can regularly be found waving her hankies and jangling her bells at folk festivals around South East England!

David Pollard

Wilberforce Chambers

David Pollard is now a barrister practising from Wilberforce Chambers in Lincoln’s Inn. He previously practised as a solicitor with Freshfields in London and (a long time ago in the 1980s) in Singapore.

His book "The Law of Pension Trusts" includes a useful chapter on surpluses. “Pensions Contracts and Trusts: Legal Issues on decision making: Applying Braganza” came out in 2020 and the 7th edition of "Corporate Insolvency: Employment and Pensions Rights" in 2022.

This is David’s 11th talk at the APL Annual Conference – the first was 33 years ago in Dublin in 1991.

"I saw the error of my ways while at university and switched from maths to law for the last two years."

David E Grant

Outer Temple Chambers

David E. Grant KC specialises in chancery and commercial work, in particular pensions and associated professional negligence.
He has extensive advocacy experience up to the European Court of Justice and has been recommended in the directories since 2007.
He has acted in relation to some of the largest UK (and foreign) schemes, for FTSE 100 firms, trustees, members and professional advisors as well as the PPF, the Pensions Regulator and the Pensions Ombudsman.
David is the former chairman of the APL Litigation Sub-Committee and the current secretary of the Pensions Litigation Court Users Committee. He is head of mentoring and the academic liaison sub-committee of the ChBA.

I once attended a university Liberal Democrat talk on Scottish independence with Liz Truss

Keith Bryant KC

Outer Temple Chambers

Keith is Head of the Business Team at Outer Temple Chambers where his practice encompasses all aspects of pensions law, both contentious and non-contentious, and involving private and public sector schemes. As well as significant experience of High Court and appellate litigation, he has been involved in many mediations, both as counsel and mediator, and in other forms of ADR.

"I have (twice) sung Kylie Minogue on the main stage of Sydney Opera House."

Lydia Seymour

Outer Temple Chambers

Lydia Seymour has a specialist pensions and employment law practice, including professional negligence claims in both areas. She has been recognised by the legal directories as a leading junior since 2005 and is listed for pensions, employment and professional negligence. Her practice includes all aspects of ‘black letter’ pensions law, including: de-risking, rectification, issues arising in multi-employer schemes and trustee duties.

Lydia has acted in numerous mediations in pensions cases, particularly those raising issues of professional negligence. She has also acted as a mediator in pensions disputes and has recently completed CEDR mediation training.

I once played the trumpet on childrens' tv.

Amanda Rowley

Eversheds Sutherland

Amanda is a Legal Director in Eversheds Sutherland's Financial Services, Disputes and Investigations group. She is also a CEDR accredited mediator with extensive experience of negotiation and mediation. She acts for financial services and pensions clients in respect of disputes involving professional negligence, breach of contract, determination of pension scheme documents, rectification claims, debt/asset recovery, conspiracy and civil fraud.

"Before starting work as a lawyer I spent some time travelling the world, working in France and New Zealand."

Jane Higgins

A&O Shearman

Jane is a partner in the pensions team at A&O Shearman where she advised both employers and trustees on all aspects of pensions law.

Sam Dent

A&O Shearman

Sam Dent is a senior associate at A&O Shearman, having joined the firm in 2014. He advises both trustees and corporates across the board and has worked on several major de-risking projects. Sam has also spent time on secondment with the Universities Superannuation Scheme and recently returned from a sabbatical, in which he travelled across Costa Rica, Belize and India (with a pit stop in Guatemala)!

"I've competed in the winter edition of the world's most northerly road race, which is held each year in Tromso, Norway, 200 miles above the arctic circle (bonus fact: Jane has competed in the summer edition of the same race)"

Katie Banks

Hogan Lovells

Katie became a pension lawyer by accident in 1994 but has never regretted it. She loves grappling with the technical detail and finding imaginative solutions for her clients. Katie has been Chair and Treasurer of the APL. She is Head of pensions at Hogan Lovells, where she has worked he whole career. Katie enjoys exotic travel and live sport and music and sometimes combines the two.

"I appeared on Record Breakers as part of the biggest tap troupe in the world."

Amol Chalisgaonkar

Hogan Lovells

Amol is an Associate in the Hogan Lovells pensions team. He has 5 years of experience in pensions law, acting for both employers and trustees on all DB and DC issues.

He has a particular focus on pensions tax issues. For example, he recently concluded a project advising one of the country's largest pension providers on tax issues arising out of a major benefit correction exercise, including engaging with HMRC and individual members.

Amol was Chair of the APL's FLIP sub-committee for 2023 and remains a member of the committee.

"I once had to hitch hike up the Pacific Coast Highway from Malibu, when things went south during a cycling holiday from LA to San Francisco!"

Natalie Mee

CMS

Natalie Mee is a partner in the Pensions team at CMS advising a broad range of trustee and employer clients on the day-to-day running of occupational pension schemes of all sizes across different sectors including aviation, construction and retail.

Natalie has extensive experience in risk reduction exercises, scheme mergers and negotiating funding arrangements between trustees and corporates. She advises trustees and employers in relation to buy-in and buy-out transactions, and has advised on a number of asset-backed funding and captive reinsurance arrangements. Natalie has a particular interest in DB run-on and is actively involved in industry discussions in this area.

"I've got a diploma in interior design."

Stuart O’Brien

Sacker & Partners

Stuart is a Partner at Sackers and an active industry voice on ESG matters. In 2019-21 he chaired the Pensions Climate Risk Industry Group which produced the first industry-wide guidance on TCFD adoption by pensions schemes and more recently was a member of the Financial Markets Law Committee (FMLC) working group that produced their report on Pension Fund Trustees and Fiduciary Duties: “Decision-making in the context of Sustainability and the subject of Climate Change”. Stuart is a member of the APL’s Investment and Defined Contribution Sub-Committee and a member of the legal panel to the Impact Investment Institute.

"In my spare time (rare!) I do a little bit of target rifle shooting. In my heyday, I managed to get into the England team on a few occasions in the past, but unfortunately my aim is no longer what it was so I mostly make up the numbers in competition now."

Andy Lewis

Sackers & Partners

Andy is a pensions partner with a particular interest in ESG and sustainability - especially fiduciary duty. As well as client advice on the topic, he’s contributed to work in this area from the Financial Markets Law Committee, DWP, Impact Investing Institute and other organisations. Andy is very newly arrived at Sackers, having previously worked at Travers Smith and Hogan Lovells.

"I once played ‘M’ in an arts school spoof Bond film."

Penny Cogher

Irwin Mitchel

Penny has been advising on pensions since the early 1990s when surpluses were last fought over. Working as a pensions partner at Irwin Mitchell LLP, she advises on all different aspects of pensions, and for all types of organisations and individuals in all sorts of circumstances. She likes to explore emerging areas of law and this year has written Tolley's Digest, Guidance for employers on pensions and Sharia law and worked with Tolley on their 2024 Digest on Pension Tax. She also has a large following on LinkedIn where she shares on her thoughts on pension developments more generally.

"I've a golden retriever, called Sami, who likes to cause havoc about the house, including stealing shoes and tearing up (non crucial!) pension papers when she feels I've done enough work for the day."

Garon Anthony

Irwin Mitchell

Garon has long experience of resolving the full range of disputes for participants in the pensions industry. That includes acting in relation to professional negligence claims, member complaints, recoveries of overpaid pension, disputes before the Pensions Ombudsman and the Financial Ombudsman Service, insurance issues and cyber related matters. He also acts for trustees and firms under investigation by the Pensions Regulator.

Garon is a lifelong and permanently disappointed Birmingham City supporter

Paul Newman KC

Wilberforce Chambers

Paul is a barrister, King's Counsel and head of the Pensions Interest Group at Wilberforce Chambers. He has been practising pensions law for over 30 years. He is the founder and general editor of the Pensions Barrister website and the author of A Practitioner's Guide to Correcting Mistakes in Pension Schemes, published by Bloomsbury Professional.

"I am a published legal historian, specialising in 18th and 19th century law reporting."

Alison Winstanley

The Pensions Regulator

Alison started life as a corporate lawyer, but after 3 years had a “lightbulb moment” and moved into pensions as a far more interesting area – a view she firmly maintains well over 10 years later. Having built up considerable experience in the private sector, she joined The Pensions Regulator in 2014, and continues to find her work both challenging and full of surprises. Alison joined the DB Funding Code team at TPR in 2022, and was closely involved in the consultation on the new statement of strategy.

My first ever dog is a Great Dane - which just shows you I'm always up for a challenge!

Ian O’Toole

The Pensions Regulator

Worked in pensions private practice for 20 years before moving to the Pensions Regulator.

"I once turned down appearing in a Marvel movie in order to attend a trustee meeting."

Martin McNamara

The Pensions Regulator

Martin McNamara is an actuary at the Pensions Regulator with over 20 years experience working in pensions. He joined the Regulator in 2020 , and has worked on a range of projects, individual cases and policy matters. He is part of the team that developed the new DB Funding Code of Practice recently laid in Parliament and also supported DWP as they drafted the Funding and Investment Strategy Regulations 2024. Before joining the Regulator, Martin worked as a scheme actuary and consultant in an actuarial consultancy and as part of an in-house pensions team.

Prior to TPR my previous company made ice cream and one of the perks was as much free ice cream as you could eat every day!

Chris Edwards-Earl

Stephenson Harwood

Chris is a disputes partner at Stephenson Harwood specialising in pensions. He regularly acts for trustees and employers, representative beneficiaries, and clients pursuing or defending high-value professional negligence actions. He is a member of the Education and Seminars Committee of the APL, co-ordinating the Introduction to Pension Disputes training day, as well as organising caselaw forums along with Elizabeth Ovey.

Chris made pensions law look so interesting that he convinced his husband to leave film production for Disney and Warner Brothers to become a solicitor as well - though not a pensions lawyer, just yet...

Dan Saunders

Herbert Smith Freehills

Dan is an Of Counsel in HSF's pensions litigation team. Working in pensions for over 10 years, he has a diverse pensions litigation practice, acting on a broad range of construction, rectification and professional indemnity claims, as well as regularly advising on contentious regulatory issues.

'During lockdown my wife and I decided to start a self-build project. It continues.'

Rosalind Connor

Temple Bright

Rosalind is a partner at Temple Bright. She trained at Gouldens and stayed at that firm after its merger with Jones Day becoming partner and head of UK pensions before moving to Taylor Wessing and then to Arc at the beginning of 2016, where she was a partner and then managing partner, before moving to Temple Bright in 2024. Rosalind is a former secretary and chair of the APL and currently sits on the Legislative & Parliamentary Committee. In her spare time she argues about politics and science with her husband and two adult children.

"As a small child I met the journalist and campaigner Jessica Mitford by walking in on her having a bath and announcing "I've come to do me teeth"."

Keith Webster

CMS

As a member of the CMS pensions team, Keith advises on the full range of pensions issues for trustees, employers, insurers and product providers. He is so old that he remembers the last time schemes had surpluses and clients couldn't send you emails even during working hours. This is his 6th time speaking at the APL conference and he would like to apologise to anyone unfortunate enough to have to sit through them all and for the fact that he seems to still be using the same photo as for his first one.

Lauren Jackson

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP