In our second season of the podcast, we’re interviewing senior investment figures from large defined contribution pension schemes.We’re asking them to reflect on the investment challenges reflecting them as DC leaders. What are they excited about – and what’s keeping them awake at night?In this show, we chat to experienced members of the investment world, broadcasting their insights, as well as the ideas of the DCIF, to pension fund decision-makers in the UK and across the globe.This show is hosted by Louise Farrand, a journalist who has written about DC pensions and finance issues for over a decade and has run the DCIF for nine years. Co-hosting is Lorna Kennedy, chair of the DCIF and a partner at Baillie Gifford.To subscribe to this show and read the regular research the DCIF publishes, head to www.dcif.co.uk and follow the DCIF on Twitter (@DCIF) and LinkedIn.
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Changing World, New Opportunities is a business podcast hosted by Defined Contribution Invest Forum (DCIF), with 46 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.
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Defined Contribution Invest Forum (DCIF) hosts Changing World, New Opportunities, a business show with 46 episodes published.
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Episode #12
Private markets, consolidation and the future of DC investment with Mercer's Ben Lewis
Jul 2, 202631 minS4
In this episode, hosts Louise Farrand and Dave Whitehair sit down with Ben Lewis, head of Mercer's investment DC workplace proposition, for a wide-ranging conversation about how Mercer's master trust is building out its investment strategy for the long term. Ben covers the move into private markets, how Mercer is thinking about the full member journey from accumulation through to retirement, and why getting the structure of the LTAF right matters so much. They also get into progress on sustainability, the impact of consolidation following the Cardano acquisition, and how Value for Money rules are shaping decision making across the market. The conversation rounds off with Ben's thoughts on venture capital as a future allocation for DC members and the role of AI in helping members engage with their pensions. We hope you enjoy the episode as much as we enjoyed speaking to Ben!
Private markets, consolidation and the future of DC investment with Mercer's Ben Lewis
Jul 2, 202631 minS4
In this episode, hosts Louise Farrand and Dave Whitehair sit down with Ben Lewis, head of Mercer's investment DC workplace proposition, for a wide-ranging conversation about how Mercer's master trust is building out its investment strategy for the long term. Ben covers the move into private markets, how Mercer is thinking about the full member journey from accumulation through to retirement, and why getting the structure of the LTAF right matters so much. They also get into progress on sustainability, the impact of consolidation following the Cardano acquisition, and how Value for Money rules are shaping decision making across the market. The conversation rounds off with Ben's thoughts on venture capital as a future allocation for DC members and the role of AI in helping members engage with their pensions. We hope you enjoy the episode as much as we enjoyed speaking to Ben!
Step inside the L&G master trust with Tegs Harding
Feb 11, 202636 minS4
In this week’s episode of the podcast, we speak to Tegs Harding, trustee chair of the Legal and General master trust’s investments committee. Investment has been high on the master trust’s agenda. Tegs and her colleagues realise that members are better off when they take more risk for longer – and that has been a big theme of the changes they have been making over the last few years. They have introduced equities from earlier in the lifecycle, considering the length of members’ de-risking glidepaths and introducing private markets. Tegs touches on the live discussion L&G are having around private markets in retirement – and why knowing only part of a member’s overall financial picture is a challenge. More broadly, we talk quite a lot about investment advice and guidance, and Tegs shares some fascinating themes and observations from L&G’s retirement research with members, some of which may surprise you. We also touch on the impact AI could have on how members interact with their pensions. Tegs talks about the L&G master trust’s net zero journey and why it’s vital for master trusts to look beyond paper-based decarbonization to build resilience and have real world impact. It’s a great episode – enjoy!
Cutting Through the Noise: Jo Sharples on Conviction Investing in DC
Feb 5, 202637 minS4
This week on the podcast, we chat to Jo Sharples, chief investment officer for Aon’s DC solutions. Jo shares her wisdom about investment, revealing her ‘sleep at night strategy’ – we love this idea. We discuss the importance of cutting out the noise and sticking to your guns in times of short term volatility. Jo explains why she has just made an allocation to long-dated government bonds in the growth phase – despite being very pro equity in general – and explains why government bonds are very much on her radar. She has a challenge to the industry on net zero: have we done the easy things and saved the harder choices for later? Are we making enough real progress? If not, what needs to change? We also discuss private markets, and Jo shares the types of assets the Aon master trust is looking at – and why it’s important to have different risk/return focuses for people at different stages of their lives. Listen to the podcast to find out exactly what they’re looking at. We loved catching up with Jo. Enjoy the episode!
From Art School to Asset Management: Meet Lorna Blyth, head of investment proposition for Aegon UK
Jan 22, 202635 minS4
Lorna Blyth, head of investment proposition for Aegon UK, joins Dave and Louise for this week’s podcast. We learn about Lorna’s career path, from dreams of art college to working her way up through the ranks of a pension provider and into investment – with a lot of hard work and exams completed along the way. Lorna is responsible for investment proposition for Aegon's DC workplace business from the master trust to the contract based book and also looks after the fund of funds business. That’s a lot of members and assets. Investing on behalf of one million plus customers with over 100 billion pounds’ worth of assets is a big job – and Lorna and her colleagues continually working to improve outcomes and aim for strong long‑term returns. The team has spent the last two years looking at private markets – and has recently introduced LTAFs. Lorna tells us about how she is using them to pull different levers for members at different stages in their glidepaths. ‘I love my job’, Lorna told us – we find out what aspects of investment excite her, as well as what changes in the DC world are inspiring her at the moment. A note on continuity: we spoke to Lorna in the autumn of 2025 – so when we talk about ‘next year’, this actually means 2026. Hope that isn’t too confusing for listeners!
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