SmartCats Consulting brings a breath of fresh air to independent trustee provision for UK defined benefit pension schemes.

Sarah Smart has extensive experience acting as a trustee for a variety of defined benefit pension schemes, ranging in size from £5m to over £1bn, including several appointments as Chairperson. Sarah’s background as a Chartered Accountant with over 10 years experience in the investment management industry provides a core set of skills with which to approach the complex issues facing pension scheme trustees today.

However, it is her fresh and enthusiastic approach to trusteeship, focusing on helping the trustee body as a whole to perform well as a cohesive unit, which differentiates Sarah from other professionals operating in this field.

Some highlights of Sarah’s recent trustee work include:

•Staged introduction of enhanced governance procedures

•Negotiation of provision of security over assets with scheme sponsor

•Guiding scheme through a change in the corporate structure of the sponsor

•Investment strategy review and redesign

•Negotiation of scheme benefit changes

•Scheme specific funding valuation exercises