In addition to providing advice to trustees during M&A and corporate events, the practice will also provide a range of communications services including media relations, digital and social media, regulatory information and profile raising activities.
The team includes pension communication specialists Ed Gascoigne-Pees, Matthew Cole and Tom Willetts.
Gascoigne-Pees commented: ‘Our team has a wealth of experience in advising clients in the pensions sector which has been gained through many years of advising trustees, sponsors and insurers.
‘In this difficult economic environment, we will be able to help trustees use communications to reassure scheme members about the security of their benefits and use the media to protect members’ interests, such as when the sponsoring company is involved in M&A.
‘In the past trustees may have received communications advice for these activities from the same firm as the company sponsoring their pension scheme. But trustees are increasingly realising that this may be a significant conflict of interest and independent advice is crucial.’
An example of its work in the area is the support the agency provided to the HBOS Final Salary Pension Scheme Trustees during the takeover of HBOS by Lloyds Banking Group in 2008.
