Fieldfisher's Podcast

Introducing Fieldfisher podcasts: Our expert lawyers share their views on the latest legal developments, interview key clients and compare ideas with leading legal and business minds on everything from technology regulation to infrastructure in Africa. Please browse our archive to see our many and varied discussion topics.

Fieldfisher's Podcast is a business podcast hosted by Fieldfisher, with 29 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Fieldfisher hosts Fieldfisher's Podcast, a business show with 29 episodes published.

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  Episode #8

  The Pensionist - Episode 8: Portunes Pension Capital's landmark capital-backed transaction

  Sep 7, 202632 minS1

  In this episode of The Pensionist, we explore the evolution of the Capital-Backed Journey Plans (CBJP) and how these structures are developing in today’s pensions endgame market. Using Portunes Pension Capital’s second CBJP transaction, completed with Aretas Trustees as trustee of the James Neill Pension Plan, as a case study, we look at how the structure has evolved to meet the needs of trustees and sponsors. As pension schemes become better funded, endgame planning is no longer a simple choice between running on and buying out. Trustees are looking for solutions that improve funding certainty and member security while retaining flexibility over future strategic decisions. This latest transaction represents a significant evolution from Portunes’ first CBJP. It preserves the option to pursue buyout while maintaining existing investment arrangements. Hosted by Larisa Gordan , Senior Associate in Fieldfisher’s Pensions team, this episode features Michael O’Connor, Founder of Portunes Pension Capital, and Sebastian Reger , Partner at Fieldfisher, who advised Portunes Pension Capital. Together, they discuss how the structure evolved to accommodate illiquid assets, retain liability-driven investment arrangements and support integrated risk management. They also consider what this transaction means for the future role of capital-backed solutions within the pensions endgame toolkit.

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  Episode #7

  The Pensionist - Episode 7: Whose surplus is it anyway?

  Jul 23, 202634 minS1

  In this episode of The Pensionist, we turn to a question that would have seemed almost fanciful only a few years ago: what should schemes do with a defined benefit surplus? With well-funded schemes now surging across the market, the return of surplus is moving from theoretical possibility to practical reality for a growing number of schemes. The rules, however, are far from simple. The treatment of surplus depends heavily on whether a scheme is ongoing or in wind-up, and the strict statutory conditions that currently apply to refunds from ongoing schemes are about to change. The Pension Schemes Act 2026 will give trustees a new statutory power to amend their rules to permit a refund of surplus while the scheme is ongoing, and will lower the funding threshold from a buyout basis to a low dependency basis, with regulations expected to come into force on 6 April 2027. Hosted by Larisa Gordan , Senior Associate in Fieldfisher's Pensions team, this episode features Jeremy Harris , Pensions Partner at Fieldfisher, and James Chalk, Client Director and professional trustee at Vidett. Together they work through how surplus can be used or returned, the legal rules and trustee duties that shape those decisions, the key trust law authorities from Edge to Merchant Navy Ratings and Bristol Water, market practice on how surplus is typically split between sponsors and members, run-on strategies for well-funded schemes, and the brand-new June 2026 DWP consultation and accompanying TPR guidance.

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  Episode #6

  The Pensionist - Episode 6: To Buy Out or Not to Buy Out?

  Jun 17, 202619 minS1

  In this episode of The Pensionist, we move beyond the familiar question of when to buy out and consider a more fundamental one: is buyout always the right destination? With defined benefit schemes now sitting on funding positions that would once have seemed out of reach, the endgame conversation has shifted. Surplus is front and centre, and for many schemes the question is no longer simply when to buy out — but whether to buy out at all. Hosted by Larisa Gordan, Senior Associate in Fieldfisher's Pensions team, this episode features Gurbani Swanni-Leach, Head of Endgame Solutions at M&G, and Oliver Reece, Pensions Partner at Fieldfisher. Together they map the full range of endgame options - from run-on and superfunds to longevity insurance, contingent buy-in products, and escrow arrangements - considering who holds the decision-making power, how trustees should navigate the tension between certainty and value, and what robust governance of a run-on strategy actually requires in practice.

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  Episode #5

  The Pensionist - Episode 5: Inside the DB Endgame: A Conversation with PwC

  May 20, 202623 minS1

  <p>In this episode of The Pensionist, we discuss the defined benefit endgame through the lens of current market conditions and real‑world transaction experience. </p><p>With defined benefit schemes increasingly well-funded and insurer pricing and capacity remaining attractive, many trustees and sponsors are considering whether now is the right time to transact, and what being “ready” truly looks like in practice.</p><p>Hosted by Larisa Gordan, Senior Associate in Fieldfisher’s Pensions team, the episode features Dweenisha Caleechurn, who leads PwC’s bulk annuities practice, alongside Oliver Reece, Pensions Partner at Fieldfisher. Together, they explore how schemes approach ri...

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  Episode #4

  The Pensionist - Episode 4: DB de risking and buy out readiness: A Professional Trustee's Perspective

  Apr 1, 202634 minS1

  <p>In this episode of The Pensionist<b>,</b> we explore a question that is firmly at the top of trustee agendas: how do you de‑risk a defined benefit pension scheme without falling into common — and costly — traps?<b> </b>With buy‑in and buy‑out activity at unprecedented levels, many schemes are suddenly asking whether now the right time is to move — but “well‑funded” doesn’t always mean operationally ready<b>.</b> </p><p>Hosted by Larisa Gordan, Senior Associate in Fieldfisher’s Pensions team, this episode features Annabelle Hardiman (Head of Professional Corporate Sole Trustee at the Independent Governa...

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