The NAPF supported research by Spence Johnson about the role of the Finance Director (FD) in pensions. The report, New Centres of Influence, finds that new regulations and stock market volatility have led finance directors to get more involved in pension decision making. In particular in larger firms, finance directors lead the discussions on contribution levels, and are some are directly or indirectly leading the discussion on de-risking.

Based on interviews with 25 finance directors at larger companies, the Spence Johnson predict that the shift away from HR managers will continue and that eventually finance directors will take the lead in all pension decisions, including the implementation of the investment strategy.

Thank you to all NAPF members who participated in this research.