I am embarking on something that I feel a little nervous about. I will be having a conversation about raising standards of Trusteeship and Scheme Governance with Elizabeth Renshaw-Ames and my partner Stella Eastwood, both of whom know a lot about Trusteeship and Scheme Governance, considerably more than I know, or ever will. I wasn’t built that way, though I do think I’ve done something to help in this space

My worry is that trusteeship and governance is full of snobbery where people who want to be considered top of the tree manage to show off their superiority by becoming wise about rules.

So I am going to have to get myself out of a hump and do some work on getting better governance and trusteeship- I want to be part of a proprietor of an occupational pension scheme and though I will not be a trustee, I need to make sure our trustees are as good as trustees can get at governance

I haven’t had much to do with Elizabeth for many years but she and I will be having a conversation this morning and Stella will be with me. She is a trustee and has the built in skills of understanding governance as part of here DNA.

You will note that this is an area currently dominated by women!

TPR are calling on people who are interested in getting better pensions to comment on a consultation. It opened before Christmas and closes in March, details are here

I hope that I will be better placed to ensure the trustees in the scheme I want the Pension Regulator to authorise later this year.

The scheme I want to launch will operate under CDC which I suppose qualifies as facing the challenges of a modern pension scheme operating in a modern pension system.

That Elizabeth wants a meeting with me is either because she is interested in my views or that she is worried that I am looking to cause trouble. I may cause trouble without knowing I am trying which may be a third thing that the meeting may bring forth!

But there is a paper that I have read and am looking forward to discuss and – if there is reason for me to attend it, there is meeting at the end of the month.

As the “Vision” of the Pension Regulator for getting Trusteeship and Governance on a surer footing, is open, I’m attaching it to this page.