There are just a few days left to enter this year's UK Pensions Awards...
The deadline for receipt of the entries is 5:30pm on Monday, 22 January 2018.
Should you have any queries with regards to the entry process, please contact Joshua Wrazen at [email protected] or 020 7484 9995.
About the Awards
The UK Pensions Awards, now in their 21st year, celebrate excellence within the pensions industry -shining the light on excellence and recognising the advisers, providers and investment managers that offer the highest level of innovation, performance and service to occupational pension schemes and their members, and have done the most to improve this over the past year.
This year, we have included a number of innovations to help you complete your entry.
As well as publishing an entry guidance pack, we also held a Q+A with judges 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 and the Q+A, please register for the awards (see below).
Should you have any queries with regards to the entry process, please contact Joshua Wrazen at [email protected] or 020 7484 9995.
The overview of the judging process and the category list is as follows:
Awards Process
This year there are two stages in the awards process.
1. Registration: Firms need to register for the awards and let us know what categories they plan 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 2018 as soon as they are available.
It will also give you access to entry guidance and allow you to access our Q+A with judges.
2. Entry submission: Firms that register also have to submit an entry form. 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, 22 January 2018.
The entry forms and submissions will be considered by a panel of judges made up from professionals from across the occupational pensions industry. The list of judges announced so far can be viewed here.
The finalists list will be published on Wednesday, 7 March 2018 and the winners will be announced at a ceremony at the London Hilton on Park Lane on Wednesday 23 May 2018.
Categories
We have made a number of changes to the category list for the 2018 awards in response to feedback we have received.
This year, we have added two investment awards to reflect excellence in beta investing - adding the Passive Manager of the Year and Factor Investing Manager of the Year categories to the line-up.
In addition, we have also added a Cashflow-driven Investment (CDI) Manager of the Year to recognise excellence among those managers who are developing strategies to help trustees deal with the challenges of managing cashflows as they become more mature.
Finally, we have also introduced a Diversity and Inclusion Excellence Award to recognise those firms who are doing most to promote diversity and inclusion among their workforce.
The full list of categories for the 2018 awards is:
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
The Retirement Income Provider of the Year category is a wide-ranging category that rewards the firm that has excelled most in the retirement space in the 12 months to 31 October 2017. Areas this category covers include pre- and post- retirement investment funds, technology solutions / platforms, income drawdown and annuities.
Judges will look at the extent to which your firm has developed its services, products and offerings for clients and the extent to which these services have helped pension schemes, employers, trustees and scheme members.
- DC Innovation of the Year
The DC Innovation of the Year category is a wide-ranging category that rewards the firm that has innovated most in the DC space in the 12 months to 31 October 2017. This could include the launch of new DC offerings, new consulting services, investment innovation, technology solutions and services, communication, guidance and advice offerings etc. Judges will look at the extent to which your firm has developed new services, products and offerings for clients and the extent to which these innovations helped pension schemes, sponsors, trustees and scheme members.
- DC Investment Innovation of the Year
The DC Investment Innovation of the Year category is a category that specifically focusses on DC investment innovation in the 12 months to 31 October 2017. Areas this category will cover include the launch of new investment funds for DC pension schemes such as multi-asset funds, funds that are designed to be used in the run-up to retirement or for those who remain invested and decide to use some form of drawdown.
Judges will look at the extent these new funds have helped pension schemes, sponsors, trustees and scheme members and solved particular challenges they are facing and will also look at the quality of communication and transparency of the fund.
Investment Categories:
- Investment Manager of the Year
- Fiduciary Manager of the Year
- Equity Manager of the Year
- Fixed Income Manager of the Year
- Passive Manager of the Year *** NEW FOR 2018 ***
- Factor Investing Manager of the Year *** NEW FOR 2018 ***
- DB Multi-Asset Manager of the Year
- Emerging Markets Manager of the Year
- Property Manager of the Year
- Alternative Investment Manager of the Year
The wide-ranging Alternative Investment Manager of the Year category will rewards the asset management firm that has excelled most in the alternatives space over the 12 months to 31 October 2017.
Areas this category will cover will include hedge funds, private equity and infrastructure as well as private debt. It will also include more specialist alternatives such as agriculture and timber. Please note, however, the category is not limited to these specific areas and other alternatives will be considered in this category also.
- Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Manager of the Year
The Environmental Social and Governance Manager of the Year category aims to reward excellence among those managers who offer specific ESG-focussed funds and strategies over the 12 months to 31 October 2017. We will also accept entries from those firms who have best integrated ESG across their broader product range and managers focussing on impact investing.
- Liability-Driven Investment (LDI) Manager of the Year
- Cashflow-driven Investment (CDI) Manager of the Year *** NEW FOR 2018 ***
- Risk Reduction Provider of the Year
- DB Investment Innovation of the Year
- Fixed Income Innovation of the Year
Other Categories:
- Diversity and Inclusion Excellence Award *** NEW FOR 2018 ***
This category is open to the providers, advisers and asset managers that provide services to occupational pension schemes and trustees. It aims to reward those firms that best promote diversity and inclusion within their own workforce as well as those who have contributed to industry-wide initiatives in this area. Judges will, in particular, look at initiatives launched and conducted during the year to 31st October 2017.
- Independent Trustee of the Year
- Third-Party Administrator of the Year
- Technology Innovation of the Year
- Communication Initiative of the Year
- Educational Initiative of the Year
The Educational Initiative of the Year category specifically aims to reward the consultancy or provider which has worked hardest to help trustees and employers understand the complex world of pensions and investments over the 12 months to 31 October 2017.
Judges will look at the extent to which consultant and provider initiatives have helped trustees understand complex topics, make better decisions or look at things in a new way. Initiatives may include such things as thought leadership, articles, whitepapers, seminars, conferences, videos etc
- Sponsor Covenant Provider of the Year
