People

Hugh is head of our pensions group. He specialises in pensions advisory work for trustees and companies, including transaction-related projects and pensions regulator negotiations. He also has extensive experience of handling pensions disputes at all levels.

Recent highlights include advising:

• IMG v German (Court of Appeal) (whether trustees have power to compromise a dispute - s.91 Pensions Act 1995);
• Pernod Ricard on the acquisition and management of the £2bn+ Allied Domecq Pension Funds;
• Thorn Limited in connection with the management of the £1.2bn Thorn Pension Fund before and after its transition to Pension Corporation ownership;
• EMI Group Limited on actuarial valuation issues relating to the £950m EMI Group Pension Fund following its acquisition by Terra Firma Capital Partners;
• Trustee of the £400m Mowlem Staff Pension Scheme (defined benefit & defined contribution) in connection with a range of issues;
• Trustees of the Deloitte & Touche Retirement Benefits Plan (defined contribution) on its merger with the Praxis Pension Plan;
• Jacques Vert plc on the compromise of liabilities under the William Baird Pension Scheme;
• Hilton Hotels Corporation on the demerger of the Hilton Group Pension Plan in connection with the £3.6bn acquisition of Hilton International;
• Aon Trustee Corporation v KPMG (status of KPMG Pension Fund) and Allied Domecq (Holdings) Limited v Allied Domecq Trustees (interpretation of contribution rules); and
• British Venture Capital Association on its response to the extension of the powers of the Pensions Regulator under the Pensions Act 2004.