PENSIONS OMBUDSMAN - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Operating Officer
- Deputy Chief Operating Office ( Corporate Services )
Amy Barron is Deputy Chief Operating Officer (Corporate Services) at The Pensions Ombudsman and joined in November 2021. She is a member of the Executive and a founder member of the Women's Staff Network.
Amy is responsible for the delivery of shared services across the organisation, including Finance, HR, Digital, Governance, Communications and Engagement.
Amy's previous role was Head of Secretariat for the Independent Monitoring Boards and Lay Observers, an Arms Length Body in the Ministry of Justice. The Secretariat supported 1,300 unpaid Public Appointees to undertake independent scrutiny across prisons and the detention estate. During her time in this role, she transformed membership by introducing nationally led recruitment and training, and extended services through a confidential free phone service to all prisoners and detainees at the start of lockdown to ensure their voices were independently heard.
Prior to that, Amy worked in Education, the Prison Service and was once a Pensions Administrator. In her spare time, she is a Lay Panel Member for the Nursing and Midwifery Council and a Trustee for the STEP Academy.
She is a Chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, and gained a Masters in Criminology from Cambridge.
Andrew is a qualified actuary and has over 40 years' pensions experience, working with a significant number of clients between 1968 and 2005. When he retired from Mercers, some 15 years ago, Andrew saw an opportunity to get involved in charity work, something he had always wanted to do. He also wanted to put his extensive pensions experience to good use. He originally joined The Pensions Advisory Service in 2005 before continuing as a volunteer adviser of the Early Resolution Team when the function moved to The Pensions Ombudsman in March 2018. As well as keeping him busy, Andrew enjoys being able to use his experience to help people. One thing he particularly enjoys in his role as a volunteer adviser is being able to resolve cases, especially the challenging and interesting ones.
Angela is a pensions lawyer with over 20 years experience, and has been a volunteer for 14 years. Angela wanted to become a volunteer at The Pensions Ombudsman to use her knowledge and experience to help people resolve their disputes, especially when they don't feel they are getting anywhere and to demystify pensions for them. Her personal goals are to deliver a great service and in doing so hopefully restore and maintain confidence in pensions. She finds the team at The Pensions Ombudsman very friendly and approachable, offering regular practical workshops and face to face sessions. Angela highlights the variety of technical and practical updates available to volunteers, and the opportunity to share opinions with other volunteers at the seminars, workshops and training sessions as very useful. Angela enjoys seeing issues from a different perspective and understanding what complainants really care about. She finds that people are really grateful for the help she provides which is massively rewarding. She also appreciates dealing with cases in a balanced and impartial way and finds engaging with the team at The Pensions Ombudsman fulfilling.
Job Titles:
- Solicitor
- Chairman and Deputy Pensions Ombudsman / Deputy Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman
- Member of the Pensions Regulator 's Independent Determinations Panel
Anthony Arter CBE has been appointed as the Interim Chair of TPO by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions while DWP embarks on the recruitment process for a new permanent Chair. This follows the sad death of TPO's former Chair, Caroline Rookes, in October 2023.
Anthony is also the interim Deputy Pensions Ombudsman and Deputy Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman. Prior to this appointment, he was the Pensions Ombudsman and Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman from May 2015 to January 2023.
Anthony is a solicitor who has specialised in pensions since 1996. He was Eversheds LLP's Head of Pensions from 2005 until 2013 and their London Senior Partner 2009 until 2014.
He has also been an independent trustee for many years and in December 2018, Anthony was appointed as a pro bono Trustee Director of the Action for Children Pension Fund.
Anthony was Chair of the Ombudsman Association from 2019 - 2021.
In September 2022 Anthony was appointed as a member of the Pensions Regulator's Independent Determinations Panel.
He was awarded a CBE in the King's New Years' Honours 2023 for services to pensions and charity.
Job Titles:
- Legal Director
- Member of the Association of Pension Lawyers
- Solicitor at Nabarro
Claire Ryan is Legal Director at The Pensions Ombudsman and also a member of the Executive Board and the Corporate Board.
Claire leads the Legal Team (which includes technical pensions specialists). The Legal Team advises on jurisdiction, casework, litigation, policy and pensions legislation. Claire joined The Pensions Ombudsman in November 1999 as a lawyer, and then moved to Head of Legal, before being appointed as Legal Director in February 2016.
Prior to joining The Pensions Ombudsman, Claire trained as a solicitor at Nabarro's (now CMS) and then worked at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in the ‘employment pensions and benefits' department, where she specialised in pensions law.
Claire is a member of the Association of Pension Lawyers and regularly presents and gives talks on pension law issues and the work of The Pensions Ombudsman.
Job Titles:
- Solicitor
- and Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman
Dominic Harris is the Pensions Ombudsman and the Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman. He was appointed by the Secretary of State with effect from 16 January 2023, for a term of five years.
As well as being the Ombudsman, as the Chief Executive of the organisation he is also a member of the Executive and the Corporate Board.
Dominic is a solicitor advocate, who has been specialising in pensions law for the past 22 years. He originally trained and qualified at Nabarro, before moving to CMS and becoming a partner in the pensions team in 2012.
He has experience acting for members, trustees and sponsors. Immediately prior to taking up his appointment, he was the Chair of the Association of Pension Lawyers' Investment & Defined Contribution Committee and also holds an MBA from IMD Business School in Switzerland.
Job Titles:
- JP Was Appointed As Non - Executive Director at the Pensions Ombudsman in May 2021
- Non - Executive Director, Corporate Board
Emir Feisal JP was appointed as Non-Executive Director at The Pensions Ombudsman in May 2021.
Emir is a Chartered Accountant and a specialist in transformational change and Essential Resource Planning. The majority of his career was spent at the Sunday Times as Associate Managing Editor for this leading Sunday Paper.
He is a Commissioner for the Judicial Appointments Commission, which selects candidates for judicial office in Courts and tribunals. He is also a Magistrate for the Central London Bench for both the adult and family Courts with Appeal sittings at Crown Courts including the Old Bailey.
Emir is at present, a board member and Audit Chair of the Serious Fraud Office, the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency, the Honours Committee, and is a trustee of The Henry Smith Charity, one of the largest grant makers in the UK.
He has held non-executive board member positions with the Royal Parks Agency, Bar Tribunal Adjudication Service, Lambeth Clinical Commission group, London Metropolitan University, South West London and St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, amongst others.
Gareth has worked in the industry for over 13 years as an administrator, an analyst, and for the last two as a technical consultant with Aries Insight - a pensions legislation resource. He is an associate member of the Pensions Management Institute and has completed their Advanced Diploma in Retirement Provision. Having volunteered at The Pensions Advisory Service for over three years, he re-joined with The Pensions Ombudsman as a volunteer following a career break. Gareth wanted to become a volunteer to expand his industry knowledge, whilst doing something different and adding to his CV and experience. He believes the training and support offered by The Pensions Ombudsman to be exceedingly useful, covering a broad spectrum of topics. And that there are some impressive people amongst our volunteers who are willing to come forward and share their knowledge.
Jeffrey is a retired pensions professional with a speciality in the financial management of pension schemes. In 2005 he joined the Pension Protection Fund, working in its finance team until his retirement in 2018. He is also a member of the Pensions Research Accountants Group which is recognised by the Financial Reporting Council as the appropriate industry organisation to issue Statements of Recommended Practice (SORPs) for pension scheme financial statements. Jeffrey has been a volunteer since the 1980s and originally joined to expand his knowledge of the pensions industry. He thinks the training and support offered by The Pensions Ombudsman is relevant and well thought through. He most enjoys being able to reassure people and make sure that they are dealt with fairly, through giving his input and guidance.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Operating Officer
- Deputy Chief Operating Officer ( Casework )
- in September 2023 As Deputy Chief Operating Officer ( Casework ) . She Is a Member of the Executive Board and Leads the Ombudsman 's Casework Function
- Solicitor in England
Jennifer Ryans joined the Pensions Ombudsman in September 2023 as Deputy Chief Operating Officer (Casework). She is a member of the Executive Board and leads the Ombudsman's casework function.
Prior to joining the Pensions Ombudsman, Jennifer was Head of Dispute Resolution at the Housing Ombudsman where she led complex casework, systemic investigations and compliance with Ombudsman orders. During her 11 years at the Housing Ombudsman Jennifer managed all of the core casework functions and has significant experience in leading teams through major organisational change and establishing a positive and supportive working culture.
Jennifer has also been a senior manager within the London Borough of Wandsworth's housing department and worked at the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Jennifer is a qualified solicitor in England, Wales and Ireland. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the National University of Ireland, Galway.
Kay has over 20 years' experience in the pensions industry. Starting in financial services, she developed a passion for pensions when she moved to Scottish Equitable (now AEGON) and had the opportunity to develop her technical knowledge. She has a Diploma in Financial Planning, Certificate in Pension Simplification, Award in Pensions Update and the Certificate in Life and Pensions. She decided to become a volunteer as she wanted to use the knowledge she had built up to help others who may have problems with their pensions. It gave her the chance to give a little back while continuing to develop professionally. She has been a volunteer since August 2017. Kay thinks the training offered by The Pensions Ombudsman is excellent and values the support that she gets from her Regional Organiser and mentor. She enjoys volunteering because she can look at pensions from a different perspective to her day job. She likes being able to ensure people are treated fairly or to help people understand what they have and how it works.
Kulsum has 16 years' experience of the pensions industry, working with various banks and Fidelity Investments. For the last six years she has worked as an independent financial adviser for a private wealth company focused on pensions. Kulsum became a volunteer as she "loves giving advice and guidance to people". She wanted to do this through a regulated channel as she considers this to be the best way to help people with their pensions. She finds the training and support offered by The Pensions Ombudsman to be very good and was particularly pleased to get training and support related to money purchase pensions which is her speciality. Kulsum enjoys the networking opportunities of being a volunteer and being able to share experiences and knowledge with other volunteers.
Job Titles:
- Accountant
- Non - Executive Director
- CB Was Appointed As a Non - Executive Director at the Pensions Ombudsman in May 2021
- Non - Executive Director, Corporate Board
Myfanwy Barrett CB was appointed as a Non-Executive Director at The Pensions Ombudsman in May 2021.
Myfanwy is a qualified accountant (CPFA) and her executive career was in public finance - she was Corporate Director of Finance at Harrow Council and, more recently, Managing Director of Corporate Services at the House of Commons. She has experience of leading a wide range of services, including the MPs' pension scheme and local government pension scheme, strategic planning, people, and portfolio management.
Myfanwy now works as a Non-Executive Director. She is on the board of Ocean Housing, Chair of the Tate St Ives Members Committee, and Treasurer of Newlyn Art Gallery and The Exchange and Morrab Library.
In all these roles she has significantly improved governance, developed the financial strategy, and championed diversity and inclusion.
In 2018 Myfanwy was awarded the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Companion (CB) for exemplary civilian merit.
Paul has worked in the pensions industry for the last 30 years, covering occupational pensions and specialist defined contributions. He has an Advanced Diploma in Retirement Provision and his current role is Pensions Technical Manager at NEST. Paul decided to become a volunteer because he wanted to use his pensions experience to help people resolve their pension issues. He has been a volunteer for over 10 years. He thinks the support he receives from The Pensions Ombudsman is great, when he has any questions and finds the updates helpful. What Paul most enjoys about volunteering is that he gets to deal with pensions cases that are outside of his day-to-day role at NEST.
"The variety of challenges and disputes I deal with mean I am always learning. Plus helping someone who needs help is always a good feeling."
Job Titles:
- Non - Executive Director
- Non - Executive Director, Corporate Board
Robert Branagh was appointed as a Non-Executive Director at The Pensions Ombudsman in May 2021.
Robert is a pensions professional with an extensive business background, largely in outsourcing and financial services. He has worked for trustee, not for profit, private equity owned, and insurance businesses over the last 30 years. Robert helped transition the Office of the Paymaster General from a public to a private sector outsourcing business in the late 1990s and worked with Cabinet Office to establish the joint venture which became My CSP. He has also managed the back office or pension functions for several large pension schemes, including the NHS, Civil Service, Royal Mail Statutory scheme, and the Railways Pension Scheme. Currently, he is the CEO of the London Pensions Fund Authority, a £6.5bn fund within the LGPS. He is also a Non-Executive Director at the Local Pensions Partnership Administration limited and the Ministry of Defence where he chairs the Armed Forces Pension Schemes. He is also a Trustee of the Creative Pensions Trust Master trust and a Governor of the Pensions Policy Institute.
He is a frequent speaker at pensions and employee benefits events and is a regular contributor to the UK pensions industry press. He is a Fellow of the Pensions Management Institute and has been both Chair and President during his service there. He is also an Accredited Member of the Association of Professional Pension Trustees.
Robert Loughlin is Chief Operating Officer at The Pensions Ombudsman and joined in January 2024.
Robert manages the casework and corporate service functions at The Pensions Ombudsman. He is a member of both the Executive and the Corporate Board.
Robert's previous role was at the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) as the Executive Director of Operations and Performance. During his time at the SRA, he oversaw the transformation of the organisation's operational work, delivering significant improvements in both the timeliness and levels of customer service of operational work.
Prior to that, Robert was an Assistant Director at the General Medical Council (GMC) for 10 years, where he led operational and change management functions, including the GMC's fitness to practise investigation and enforcement operation.
Robert has an MBA from Kingston University and began his career as a graduate trainee and then store manager at Marks and Spencer Plc, before moving into the world of professional regulation in the late 1990s.
Roger has worked in the pensions industry for over 40 years. As a pensions and employee benefits professional, he has experience in all aspects of company sponsored defined benefits/final salary and defined contributions plans. Before he retired in 2004, he worked for Mercer UK for 34 years. He has been a volunteer since 1993 and was drawn to volunteering so that he could put his extensive experience of different aspects of UK pensions to good use. Throughout his career, he spent a great deal of time dealing directly with pension scheme members and has a good understanding of what the most common concerns are. He wanted to give back by helping people resolve their pension issues. There are many reasons Roger enjoys volunteering especially getting to the real reason and responsibilities that created the complaint and being able to resolve it at an early stage. He also appreciates working with colleagues who have high levels of professionalism.
"I have a feeling of personal satisfaction because I am using my skills to resolve the pension problems of others."
Steve was the Government's Pensions Minister from 2010 to 2015. He served as an MP for 18 years, helping his constituents to deal with their pension issues and lobbying for improvements in pension administration. He has been a volunteer for three years. Steve chose to become a volunteer because he wanted to continue to help people with their individual pension disputes, something he missed when he stopped being an MP in 2015. He found the initial volunteer mentoring to be a huge advantage. And feels the training and support offered by The Pensions Ombudsman staff is a great way to keep updated with the ongoing changes to pensions. Steve enjoys being a volunteer and likes the feeling that he has improved someone's situation by helping them to understand and make better sense of their pension issues. He feels his efforts are always appreciated, especially knowing that he is a volunteer when people seem to value his help even more.