Buck broadens UK consulting and pensions divisions

Consulting, technology and administration services firm Buck has appointed five professionals to its retirement and consulting divisions. Brian Fray, Sarah Brown, Carl Hitchman, Mark Alexander and Roberta Burns join the consultancy as Buck looks to expand in the UK, a market it first entered at the turn of 2019.

The pensions landscape is changing rapidly, and while many schemes have a surplus at present, the majority are yet to confirm long-term targets, amid a sea of uncertainty in the UK. As this brings heightened demand for consultants in the sector, many are bringing in specialist talent to better support their clients in navigating the challenging market.

At the start of 2019, pension and benefits services provider Buck launched into the UK market, offering consulting, administration, and technology solutions to businesses and pension scheme trustees. The firm only regained independence as a brand last year, and has been keen to push ahead with an ambitious expansion programme in 2019. The latest development of this expansion plan has seen a host of appointments to its London office.

Brian Fray joins Buck’s modelling team from Mercer, where he led the design, development and delivery of technical client-facing solutions in the defined benefit pensions market space. As a Senior Consultant with Buck, he will help with Buck’s continuing evolution of its risk management software, Stride, as well as its GMP equalisation solution, Square.

Sarah Brown meanwhile becomes a Principal and Senior Consulting Actuary with Buck, having previously worked at XPS Pensions Group. Brown will develop solutions for schemes-facing issues with the annual and lifetime allowance. Brown will also support Buck’s response to shifts in regulations in scheme funding.

Carl Hitchman brings deep knowledge of the investment advisory and fiduciary management markets and will help guide Buck’s clients in their pension decisions. He joins Buck as a Principal and Senior Investment Consultant having worked within the actuarial and investment consulting space for over 34 years.

Mark Alexander becomes a member of Buck as a Principal and Senior Consultant Actuary. Having most recently worked at Willis Towers Watson, Alexander will be working with a range of established clients, whilst also taking on the Senior Client Executive role for the Manchester office.

Roberta Burns joins the firm as a Senior Consulting Actuary. She previously worked at Mercer as a member of the senior operations team. Burns will be responsible for risk management governance and professionalism. In her role, she will join Buck’s GMP equalisation team to implement the company’s standalone GMP equalisation solution, Square, across its client base.

Vishal Makkar, Head of Retirement at Buck in the UK, said of the news, “These new appointments strengthen key areas of Buck’s offerings and will allow us to continue providing our clients with the very best service… We are confident that our new hires’ vast technical knowledge, combined with cutting-edge technology and innovative solutions, will enable our clients to deliver on their commitments to scheme members for many years to come.”