Susie is a partner and head of our Pensions Department. She has an established reputation for pensions advisory and de-risking work, and has been advising on all aspects of pensions law and practice since 2001.
Pensions law
Susie advises on a broad spectrum of pensions matters with a particular focus on risk management transactions. She advises trustees and employers on all issues affecting pension schemes, including benefit changes, member options and liability management exercises, scheme valuations, mergers, employer insolvency and restructuring, PPF entry, automatic enrolment obligations, disputes, and the operation of The Pensions Regulator’s regulatory powers. Susie’s clients include schemes sponsored by the Association of British Foods, BAE, Bank of New York, Centrica, Maersk, Sony, and Unilever.
Pensions de-risking
Susie has a particular interest in pension de-risking, having advised in relation to a number of buy-in, buy-out and longevity transactions, including for schemes exiting PPF assessment. Susie recently spoke at the 2019 PLSA Investment Conference on "Endgame Planning" and at the 2019 Westminster & City Bulk Annuities Conference.
Susie's credentials in this space include advising Rothesay Life relation to its £3.8bn buy-in of the Asda Group Pension Scheme, the trustee of the Nortel Networks UK Pension Plan on a £2.5bn PPF-plus buyout with Legal & General, and the trustees of the Lehman Brothers Pension Scheme on the full buy out of scheme benefits following the trustees' successful settlement with the Lehmans' estate.
Industry recognition
She is a long-standing member of the Legislative Committee of the Association of Pension Lawyers, and regularly engages with key industry stakeholders on developments in pensions law and regulation. The Legal 500 recommends her for trustee advisory work and de-risking transactions, ranking her as a 'Leading Individual' in the field.