Policyholder Investment Office

Simon is responsible for overseeing all Policyholder Investment Office activities, including management of the team’s people strategy. After 40 years in finance, he is highly experienced in building and developing investment strategies and asset manager capabilities to support the policyholder product proposition. His career began after graduating from the University of Cambridge with an MA (Hons) in Economics and his past roles include senior leader positions at Morgan Stanley – where he was Head of ALM Advisory – and HSBC, where he was global Co-Head of Client Solutions Sales. He believes in the team being a trusted partner for all clients – including intermediaries, employee benefits consultants and corporate advisers, as well as direct customers – and is committed to ensuring that the in-house team continues to support that goal. 

As Head of Portfolio Management, Tom has overall responsibility for investment decision-making relating to key portfolios. He has 15 years’ experience in portfolio management, with previous roles including Head of Investments at the West Midlands Pension Fund and as an Investment Manager at Investec Asset Management. 

Michael graduated from the University of Manchester with a BSc (Hons) in Economics. He has a wealth of experience in the creation and implementation of investment strategies, particularly in the multi-asset space. His previous roles include: Multi Asset Portfolio Manager at Royal London, focusing on tactical asset allocation and portfolio construction; Head of Portfolio Implementation at Ninety One, focusing on portfolio construction and trading; Investment Manager at Barclays and British Airways pension schemes, focusing on investment strategy and fund manager oversight; and Fixed Income Analyst at BlueBay Asset Management. 

Graham has a broad range of industry experience, gained from a 30-year career. He and his team are responsible for devising, implementing and adjusting investment strategies to manage climate change risks and opportunities for policyholder portfolios. His previous roles include Chief Investment Officer at the Environment Agency Pension Fund and Vice Chair of the CFA UK Board. Graham is a qualified Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) and Chartered Financial Risk Manager (FRM). He is a non-executive director at the Institutional Investor Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) and the Transition Pathway Initiative, and is also a Fellow of CFA UK. He holds a BA (Hons) in Financial Economics from Coventry University and an MSc (Hons) in Corporate and International Finance from Durham University. 

Reena has more than 20 years’ asset management and insurance experience, gained from roles at the likes of Legal & General, where she was Head of Investments for Mature Savings for several years and Head of Solutions & Active Fixed Income Product Strategy. During her career, Reena has also worked for KPMG and First State Investments, among others. She has demonstrable experience leading Manager ‘Search & Selection’ and also in building, evaluating and implementing investment and product strategies across public and private asset classes. She holds an MBA from Cranfield School of Management and is a CAIA Charterholder. 

With over 20 years’ professional experience – including senior roles at UBS Asset Management and the UN PRI (Principles for Responsible Investment) – Valeria brings an in-depth understanding of environmental, social and corporate governance issues, and stewardship activities with investee companies on these topics. She has a degree in International Economics from Bocconi University and a Master’s degree in Corporate Social Responsibility from the University of Nottingham. In addition to her role, she is a member of the Climate Action 100+ Global Steering Committee and the PRI Advance Steering Committee. She is also a Non-Executive Director of the Investor Forum in the UK. 

Arif is a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. He has over 25 years’ experience, primarily gained from Actuarial positions at Aon, Deloitte, KPMG, Bluefin and Phoenix Group. In his role as Head of Authorised Fund Management (AFM), Arif is responsible for the oversight of the AFM collective funds. He holds a Mathematics and Statistics degree from the University of Birmingham. 

Alasdair is responsible for the Policyholder Investment Office’s commercial and operational strategy. His career spans more than 25 years, with a background in consultancy, transformation and client experience, having been with Aberdeen for 10 years as Global Head of Client Experience before joining Phoenix Group. Alasdair holds a BSc (Hons) in Molecular Biology from the University of Edinburgh.

Over a 30-year career, Andy has held senior roles within both insurance and asset management companies. He spent 16 years at M&G and Prudential, in positions including Director of Investments and Head of Business Development. Prior to that, he was Deutsche Bank’s Head of UK Retail. Andy is passionate about developing both new and existing investment solutions so that our business can continue evolving to meet our clients’ needs.