Independent Governance Committee

Protecting the interests of workplace pension members and drawdown pathway investors

The Committee's role

The role of the HL Independent Governance Committee (IGC) is to protect the interests of members in the HL Workplace SIPP and clients who choose the drawdown investment pathways, and makes sure they receive value for money.

Made up of both external and internal members, the result is a diverse committee with a range of skills and experience.

They also...

Publish an annual report which details their findings (see below)
Identify areas of improvement and make recommendations to the Hargreaves Lansdown Asset Management Limited board
Escalate any concerns to the FCA

Who are the IGC members?

Richard Butcher

Independent Chair

More about Richard
Richard is Managing Director of PTL, an award-winning firm specialising in professional trusteeship and governance. He is Chair of the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA), an organisation representing pension schemes across the UK with a mission to help everyone achieve a better income in retirement. With over 30 years’ experience in pension governance, Richard is a sought after speaker and a regular contributor to the industry press. Richard is driven to help deliver value for money and great outcomes for HL’s clients.

Helen Carey

Independent member

More about Helen
Helen is Compliance & Operations Director at AV Trinity. She has over 20 years’ experience working in a variety of roles in the pensions industry, including workplace pensions. This includes supporting employers when making important decisions for their members and directly advising scheme members pre and post retirement. Helen is passionate about good member outcomes and financial education, having played an active role in improving financial understanding in schools and in the workplace. Helen is a Chartered Financial Adviser and Fellow of the Personal Finance Society.

Rita Bajaj

Independent member

More about Rita
Rita is an independent Non-Executive Board Director for several financial services companies and has over 25 years’ broad financial services experience. She has held senior investment positions at Global and UK asset managers, such as Royal London and Invesco Perpetual. She served as EMEA CAO at State Street and is a former Financial Conduct Authority regulator. Currently, Rita serves on the Boards of Ecclesiastical Insurance PLC, Columbia Threadneedle OEIC Boards, London Pension Fund Authority (LPFA), and is a Senior Advisor to Sheffield Haworth. Rita is passionate about improving retirement outcomes and value for money for members, including sustainable investing and ESG considerations.

Ian Costain

Independent member

More about Ian
Ian has been an independent consultant now for over 10 years. During this time he has had a particular focus on pension policy and has done advisory assignments at both the Financial Conduct Authority and The Pensions Regulator. Ian’s career is grounded on the commercial side of the pensions industry with extensive experience of product development and proposition management. Ian’s thinking begins and ends with the customer but, at the same time, he believes that efficient well-managed companies should be allowed to make a profit. Ian is an actuary by profession.

Mark Walter

HL Employee member

More about Mark
Mark joined Hargreaves Lansdown in 2010. He is responsible for managing HL’s relationships with the fund management companies available through the HL platform. He has extensive experience of HL’s operational, commercial, and client-facing functions, enabling him to bring a rounded view to assessing value for money within workplace pensions and investment pathways, as well as how ESG is integrated into investing. Mark is passionate about expanding access to financial services. Mark holds the Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning.