Government announces additional Trustee Members of NEST corporation
Appointment of Trustee Members of NEST (National Employment Savings Trust).
The Minister for Pensions, Steve Webb, today announced the appointment of the following Trustee Members of NEST (National Employment Savings Trust) Corporation:
- Mr Iraj Amiri
- Mrs Sharon Darcy
- Mr Nigel Stanley
Steve Webb said:
I am pleased to welcome these individuals to NEST Corporation. They bring vast experience of representing the interests of consumers and financial management, which will be hugely beneficial to the Trustee of the NEST scheme.
NEST Corporation is the trustee body responsible for running the NEST scheme. It was set up under the Pensions Act 2008 as a non-departmental public body (NDPB) that operates at arm’s length from government and is accountable to Parliament through the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
NEST will ensure that all employers have access to a suitable pension arrangement to meet their new duties under the Pensions Act 2008 to automatically enrol employees into a workplace pension.
Lawrence Churchill, Chair of NEST, who took part in the selection process said:
This is a critical and exciting time - NEST is working with a small number of employers on a voluntary basis this year to ensure it is firmly established ahead of the introduction of the employer duties in 2012.
These appointments will be a valuable addition to NEST Corporation and the Trustee in carrying out its oversight role and will complement the skills and expertise of our existing Trustee Members extremely well.
Notes for Editors:
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NEST Corporation is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions. It was set up in July 2010 as a corporate trustee to run NEST.
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NEST is a low-cost occupational pension scheme that employers can choose to use to meet their new legal duties which require them to automatically enrol workers into a workplace pension.
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NEST is being progressively rolled out during 2011, working with a small number of voluntary employers. This will ensure NEST is established well ahead of the onset of employer duties in 2012.
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The Trustee Members form the trustee of the scheme. NEST Corporation is supported by staff that carry out the day-to-day running of NEST Corporation’s functions.
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The following appointments will join the existing Chair (Lawrence Churchill) and the six Trustee Members (Tom Boardman, Laurie Edmans, Paul Hewitt, Chris Hitchen, Julius Pursaill and Sue Slipman) who were appointed last year:
- Mr Iraj Amiri
- Mrs Sharon Darcy
- Mr Nigel Stanley
Iraj Amiri - Iraj was a partner with Deloitte LLP for over 20 years. He led the National Internal Audit Group of Deloitte and was one of the firm’s recognised experts in Internal Audit and Risk Management. In the public sector, his clients included numerous organisations in Central Government, Health, Education and Local Government, and many public bodies, such as the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, The Pensions Regulator, National Savings & Investments, and the European Investment Bank. He also has extensive private sector experience at a senior level, serving such organisations as Schroders plc and The Wellcome Trust. As well as being an FCA, Iraj is a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and was a member of the Internal Audit Task Force of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales for a number of years.
Sharon Darcy - Sharon is a qualified accountant with a very strong background in the consumer movement. She is a non-executive director of Consumer Focus and was previously on the Board of energywatch, an organisation which both helped consumers deal with problems with their energy suppliers and campaigned on fuel poverty. She is also a non-executive director of the Hyde Group (a large Housing Association). In the past Sharon was a Consumer Director of TrustMark, an organisation which promotes reputable traders in the home maintenance and repair sector, a non-executive director of Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust and the Chair of Sutton Borough Citizens Advice Bureau.
Nigel Stanley - Nigel has been Head of Campaigns and Communications at the TUC since May 1997, where he has led much of the TUC’s work on pensions reform following the report of the Pensions Commission. He joined the TUC as its first ever Parliamentary Officer in 1994. From 1992 to 1994 he freelanced in public affairs, research and journalism where his client list included the Shopping Hours Reform Council, the European Commission, the Labour Party and a number of MPs. Nigel also worked at the House of Commons from 1983 to 1992, first for Robin Cook and then for Bryan Gould on research, press relations and campaign management.
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The appointments will commence on 20th June for terms of five years. They will receive a remuneration package of £20,100 per annum for a time commitment of 30 days a year.
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Although these appointments do not come within the remit of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, they were made using a process which takes into account the Commissioner’s Code of Practice as best practice. All appointments are made on merit and political activity played no part in the selection process.
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In accordance with the Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if any declared) to be made public. In addition, the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 requires the Electoral Commission to publish a register of recordable donations. Nigel Stanley has canvassed for the Labour Party. Sharon Darcy has helped at election for the Liberal Democrats. The other candidate did not declare any political activity.