The UK Pensions Awards 2017 - which celebrate excellence within the pensions industry - are now open for entries.
2017 will be the 20th anniversary of the UK Pensions Awards - and will include a number of special categories to celebrate this milestone.
The awards themselves will take place at London's Grosvenor House Hotel on Thursday, 4 May 2017 - and will include a number of innovations to help you complete your entry.
As well as publishing an entry guidance pack, we will also be holding a live Q+A with judges at 2pm on 11th November to explain exactly what they are looking for in submissions and to give you a chance to pose your questions to judges.
To receive a copy of the entry guidance pack or to put your name down for the Q+A, please register for the awards (see below).
Awards Process
This year there will be two stages in the awards process - the deadlines of which are as follows
1. Registration: Firms need to register for the awards and let us know what categories they plan to enter by Friday 25th November. To register for the awards, visit: http://www.ukpensionsawards.com/static/enter-now
How to register (step by step):
i) Visit our entry page: http://www.ukpensionsawards.com/2017/static/enter-now
ii) Enter your email address to start the registration process then enter your details
iii) Click the ‘Enter This Category' button next to any categories you wish to enter - this will take you through to the entry form page.
iv) You do not need to fill out any details on the form at this stage. Simply click ‘Save and go to awards summary' to register for this category. A pop-up box will appear letting you know you need to fill in further information before submitting the award - this is normal, please click ‘OK' to proceed back to the category list.
v) Should you wish to enter more than one category, please repeat the above process for each category you wish to enter.
Registration is hugely important. Registering to enter for the awards will mean we can send you essential updates about the UK Pensions Awards 2017 as soon as they are published.
Registration will also give you access to entry guidance and allow you to register for our live Q+A with judges at 2pm on 11th November.
2. Entry submission: Firms that register will then be required to submit an entry form for the categories they plan to enter. To begin your entry submission, visit: http://www.ukpensionsawards.com/2017/static/enter-now
The judges will use this form to draw up the finalists list and decide on the final winners. The deadline for receipt of the entries is Monday 16th January 2017.
The entry forms and submissions will be considered by a panel of judges made up from professionals from across the occupational pensions industry. These judges will be announced in Professional Pensions over the coming weeks.
The finalists list will be published on Friday 3rd March 2017 and the winners will be announced at a ceremony at London's Grosvenor House Hotel on Thursday 4th May 2017.
Should you have any queries regarding the 2017 entry process, please do email my colleague Joshua Wrazen at [email protected].
Categories
We have made a number of changes to the category list for the 2017 awards in response to feedback and to mark the 20th anniversary of the UK Pensions Awards.
This year, we have included three 20th Anniversary Awards to reflect excellence in consultancy, investment management and defined contribution over the past two decades - and recognise those firms who have consistently outperformed their peers.
We have also added an award for the Greatest Single Contribution to Occupational Pensions 1998-2017 to recognise the individual who has done the most to advance the cause of occupational pensions over the past 20 years. This will replace the Pensions Personality of the Year Award for this year.
The changes also include the addition of an Educational Initiative of the Year accolade to reward the firm which has worked hardest to help trustees and employers understand the complex world of pensions and investments.
In addition to this, we have also changed the names of a number of categories. The Retirement Innovation of the Year category becomes the Retirement Income Provider of the Year; SRI / ESG Provider of the Year becomes the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Manager of the Year category; and Communication Innovation of the Year becomes the Communication Initiative of the Year category.
In addition to this, we have removed the CEO of the Year award due to the low number of entries received last year.
The full list of categories for the 2017 awards are:
20th Anniversary Awards:
- Greatest Single Contribution to Occupational Pensions 1998 - 2017
- 20 Years of Excellence in Consultancy
- 20 Years of Excellence in Investment Management
- 20 Years of Excellence in Defined Contribution
Advisory Categories:
- Actuarial/Pensions Consultancy of the Year
- Employee Benefits Consultancy of the Year
- DC Consultancy of the Year
- Investment Consultancy of the Year
- Pension Lawyers of the Year
- Risk Reduction Adviser of the Year
DC Categories:
- DC Pension Provider of the Year
- DC Investment Manager of the Year
- DC Multi-Asset Fund Manager of the Year
- DC Master Trust of the Year
- Retirement Income Provider of the Year *** RENAMED FOR 2017 ***
- DC Innovation of the Year
- DC Investment Innovation of the Year
Investment Categories:
- Investment Manager of the Year
- Fiduciary Manager of the Year
- Equity Manager of the Year
- Fixed Income Manager of the Year
- DB Multi-Asset Manager of the Year
- Emerging Markets Manager of the Year
- Alternative Investment Manager of the Year
- Property Manager of the Year
- Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Manager of the Year *** RENAMED FOR 2017 ***
- Liability-Driven Investment (LDI) Manager of the Year
- Risk Reduction Provider of the Year
- DB Investment Innovation of the Year
- Fixed Income Innovation of the Year
Other Categories:
- Independent Trustee of the Year
- Third-Party Administrator of the Year
- Technology Innovation of the Year
- Communication Initiative of the Year *** RENAMED FOR 2017 ***
- Educational Initiative of the Year *** NEW FOR 2017 ***
- Sponsor Covenant Provider of the Year
