Intellica were delighted to attend PASA’s annual conference at Plaisterers Hall.
Our representatives – Anthony, Amy, Tom and Garreth – had a great time, and enjoyed delving into the future of pensions.
Unsurprisingly, the conference had a lot to say about data. It’s a key year, with consolidation, Master Trust authorisation and the coming Dashboard shaping data concerns throughout the industry.
After an opening address by PASA Chair Kim Gubler, TPR’s Kim Brown talked us through Master Trust authorisation.
This ongoing process affects 14m members of Master Trust pension schemes, including NEST and other popular autoenrolment products.
With 38 trusts leaving the market and 44 yet to apply, the marketplace will look very different once authorisation is complete – but member assurance will be higher than ever.
The data panel was chaired by Barnett Waddingham’s Chris Tagg, and discussed TPR’s recent quality score guidance, the Pensions Dashboard and GMP equalisation.
It was good to hear how the industry is approaching these challenges, and it all points towards data standardisation.
Then Vincent Franklin of Quietroom gave an excellent talk on the Standard Annual Statement – a one sheet template for a concise, understandable annual statement.
The design is intuitive and readable, and has been shown to increase engagement and understanding in test groups.
The later eAdmin panel gathered industry experts to share their insights, before Margaret Snowdon OBE, President of PASA, discussed a number of issues, including scams and the Dashboard.
It’s clear that The Pensions Dashboard is a great step for member engagement, but a real challenge for administrators.
Intellica will be focused on helping clients make sure their data is “Dashboard Ready” in time for their rollout.
Finally, Capita’s Geraldine Brassett talked us through the cross-practice GMP equalisation working groups, before networking and refreshments, including an excellent cheesecake!
We’ll definitely be attending next year’s conference, and looking to get involved with PASA – their mission is an admirable and achievable one.
For now, we’ve returned to the office with plenty of enthusiasm and ideas, and fully focused on the future of pensions.
