Shortlist for European Pensions Personality of the Year 2009

Last year's winner (2008): Dr Anton van Nunen, Van Nunen & Partners, pioneer of the fiduciary management concept in the Netherlands.

2009 Shortlist

Tony Hobman
Chief Executive of The Pensions Regulator (UK) and Chairman of the CEIOPS Occupational Pensions Committee

Tony Hobman is chief executive of the UK's Pensions Regulator but has also been working hard in his capacity as Chairman of the CEIOPS Occupational Pensions Committee (OPC) in relation to the implementation of the IORP Directive.

Tony was appointed Chair of the OPC in July 2007 for a term of three years. He has chaired the committee during what has been extraordinary times for the financial sector and has led a work program that has adjusted well to these fast moving events. During this time Tony and the OPC have delivered on a wide spectrum of issues, from the consistent implementation of the IORP Directive, through financial stability matters, supervisory convergence, and developments in pensions accounting. Tony has always been at the forefront of efforts to help increase understanding of the diversity in prudential frameworks for IORPs across Member States. This has involved close co-operation with the consumer panel, the outputs of the financial stability working group and, formerly, the solvency subgroup on pensions.

Herman Kappelle
Professor of Tax Law on Pensions and Executive Vice-President of AEGON Adfis

As a professor of Tax Law on Pensions and Executive Vice-President of AEGON Adfis, Herman Kappelle is permanently involved in, sometimes even initiating, the social debate on our pension system. In 2008, for instance, he pointed out to Minister Donner the adverse effects of the AOW (old-age state pension) deferment for workers. He is the driving force behind meetings where not only clients and relations of AEGON but also students, politicians, regulators, academics, sector peers and pension fund directors meet to discuss with one another.

Herman is closely involved in the developments within Europe regarding the Premium Pension Institution (PPI) and the General Pension Institution (API). In 2008, he organised a congress on these subjects. The European developments also constitute an explicit part of his remit of the Chair and his field of study at the VU University Amsterdam. Furthermore Herman regularly publishes articles on the European aspects of pension, such as "A question of conformity" (20 October 2008).

Herman Kappelle has been running AEGON Adfis, AEGON Levensverzekering’s advisory group for legal and tax matters, for some 13 years.

Paul Kelly
Principal, Global Consulting Group, Towers Perrin

Paul Kelly works with multinational clients across a broad range of industries to provide pan-European and global solutions to pension challenges.

In the last year Paul has worked at the cutting edge of European pension developments in cross-border and pension captives work. He has worked on a global technology client, indeed the first company to put in place a cross-border pension scheme. This scheme covers employees in Hungary, Ireland, Poland and the UK and was set up on 1 September 2008 and is now fully operational.

Paul has also worked on a leading project to reinsure the pensions back to its captive insurer allowing the sponsor to effectively gain control of the insurance reserves and the related investment income in excess of the cost of the pensions, thereby avoiding any 'trapped surplus' and create a way to exert direct risk management control over investment strategy and allocation. Paul is a senior examiner at the International Employee Benefits Association and acts on committees of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.



Jaap Maassen
First Vice-Chairman of EFRP and director of pensions ABP

Jaap Maassen is the first Vice-Chairman of the European Federation for Retirement Provision (EFRP), which represents occupational/supplementary pension plans throughout the EU. He is also Director of Pensions at Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP, the pension fund for employers and employees in service of the Dutch government and the educational sector.

Jaap sits on the CEIOPS Consultative Panel for EFRP, and travels relentlessly to speak about the occupational pension system around the world. He has served on the EFRP Board for more than 8 years, 3 of which as chairman.

From 1975 to 1996, Jaap had various senior executive posts with Shell Oil International. From 1991 to 1994, he was Director of Pensions with Shell Pension Administration B.V. From 1994 until 1996, he was Director of Personnel of the Central office of Shell International in The Hague.



Shaun Southern
Head of Lane Clark & Peacock's (LCP's) International Practice

Shaun Southern heads LCP's International Practice, providing pensions advice to companies all over Europe and further afield. His expert and wide knowledge of European benefits has proved invaluable to many clients - for example, he has advised on some of the largest European transactions. As a widely respected expert a number of journalists keep in regular contact to make sure they hear his views on emerging ideas.

Shaun has assisted many large multi-nationals to understand and review their global pension plans.  His approach is distinctive - he doesn't just accept the status quo when people say "we do it this way because that is the way we have to do it".  He digs deeper. Shaun has worked with many companies in recent years to implement robust and practical governance structures - this has become very topical in the current economic climate.

Shaun has written a number of published articles and reports relating to European pensions including LCP'S 'Accounting for Pensions survey' and 'European Pensions Briefing'. 

CLOSING DATE: WEDNESDAY 1 JULY 2009

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