As new legislation reshapes the pensions and retirement sector, Pensions Expert will delve into the rapidly evolving defined contribution (DC) world to bring you closer to the issues that really matter.
I’m intrigued so I’m travelling into the not so deep north of Hertfordshire for a couple of days to deliberate what is happening to defined contribution pensions.
I guess that master trusts are no longer thought of as DB nor yet to be thought of as CDC master trusts. But I’m pleased to see the agenda brings us discussions on what DC will embrace before next year’s Summit.
I’ll obey the Chatham House rule but intend to peel back the covers to reveal what’s going on beneath. Here is what Pensions Extra tell us we will be getting.
The aim of Pensions Expert DC & Master Trust Summit is to deliver a DC pensions conference like no other, comprising a thorough examination of the outlook for the sector and the opportunities and challenges it presents to all the key players.
There are detailed debates on all the pressing topics in DC, from investment strategies to retirement pathways, value for money to governance and scale. Held under Chatham House rules, the summit is highly interactive, with outstanding knowledge-sharing and networking opportunities.
In previous years we’ve travelled north to Loch Lomond to have this Summit, this year it is very Home Counties!
In case you think this won’t be controversial enough for you, I discover the newly freelance Jo Cumbo will be a “devil” .
If you aren’t familiar with Jo’s style , try this.
Private sector defined contribution (DC) and defined benefit (DB) pension schemes can play an important role in supporting long-term prosperity for everyone says the UK Pension Regulator in its new Corporate Stratey. What is less clear, however, is the trade-off involved 1/ pic.twitter.com/yfTdL9ZdUm
— Josephine Cumbo (@JosephineCumbo) July 14, 2026
In case you expected to put your feet up and play games on your phone you’ll be disappointed. Here are the highlights that I’ve picked out. The full agenda is found from this link.
DG and Pensions Extra have done well to extract Sarah Smart from the frozen north to chair. This looks a well balanced session between those who may want DC to remain the way it is and those looking for it to progress towards providing an income rather pot benefit. Will we restrain the devil in Jo Cumbo as we discuss the place of private markets in our DC (or trustee’s CDC) strategies.
There is a discussion to be had about what a glidepath for a DC scheme has been doing since April 2014. I am amazed that we still have to ask what we are glide pathing to and when and where we reach our destination. It is like taking a mystery train overnight, we wake up in another place we started but it’s a lucky or unlucky trip. We get kicked off the trip to make our own way home!
We then come to the most intriguing session of the day, when various experts consider how they can turn pots to pensions without being a collective pension (that’s DWP’s phrase for CDC)!
We finish off with a general discussion and before that a discussion about matters that mean a lot to this blog. I am glad that DG do , what they do so well, finding speakers who bring a fresh approach to how DC can invest.
Less intriguing, despite the presence on the panel of Richard Smith is a discussion on innovation. It would have been good if this session had considered DC as a collective and perhaps the presence of TPT will mean it has it’s first outing since early in the day!
I finish where the day started, with a former and a current chair of The Pension Regulator having a conversation. It will be good, to set the day up at 9 am – to have Sarah Smart talking her successor Emma Douglas.
Fireside Chat: Building a DC system that is fit for the future
The era of box-ticking is giving way to a sharper focus on outcomes. In this fireside chat, we hear from the regulator on what is expected of DC schemes, how priorities are evolving, and how this will shape investment, scheme design and ultimately member outcomes.
While I do not expect this to be controversial, I do expect it to set a benchmark for the rest of the day.
Thanks to DG publishing and Pensions Extra for providing us with an interesting group of panellists and a topic that is relevant to what happens in the next 12 month.