ZEDRA, the international specialist in active wealth, corporate & global expansion, and fund solutions is launching a new pensions-focused offering - Pensions & Incentives - as well as rebranding its previous acquisition PTL as ZEDRA Governance Limited. 

The launch of Pensions & Incentives follows several recent acquisitions in the UK pension services space, including Inside Pensions, an occupational pension scheme governance support provider, PTL, an independent pension trustee and governance services provider, and most recently, Caledonian Trustees Limited, a provider of professional independent trustee and secretarial services to corporate pension and funeral plans.

ZEDRA sees the UK pension trustee and governance services sector undergoing significant changes and facing challenges that will require both dedicated effort and investment from long-term owners. As the regulatory system has become increasingly complex over recent years, so has the challenge of running a pension scheme for employers and trustees alike, it says.
 
The number of pension schemes requiring support is expected to continue to grow for the foreseeable future, due to significantly increased regulatory and compliance burdens, a focus on end game strategies which benefit from professional trustee knowledge and understanding, and a lack of available company or member nominated trustees. Pensions & Incentives targets these needs.

ZEDRA Pensions & Incentives Services will consist of six offices in London, Reading, Leeds, Birmingham, St Albans and Guernsey and is made up of approximately 80 specialists with plans to further expand the team with acquisitions in the near future in the UK and Europe.

Ivo Hemelraad, ZEDRA chief executive fficer, said: "We are delighted to further expand our service offering by boosting our presence in the UK pension space. The journey we started with the acquisition of Interben Trustees Limited in 2019 followed by Inside Pensions, PTL and more recently, Caledonian Trustees, brings us to a market leading position for outsourced pension services in the UK pension space and abroad. Our dedicated teams with unrivalled expertise allow us to offer even greater service to those who are committed to providing the highest quality pension schemes available."

ZEDRA was founded in 2016 following the sale by Barclays of its UK and offshore trust business to a group of private investors, including ZEDRA's current executive chairman, Bart Deconinck.