The Department of Work and Pensions has announced that Emma Douglas will become the new chair of The Pensions Regulator.
Her five year role will start on the 1 July, when the current interim chair Kirstin Baker steps down.
Douglas is currently wealth policy director at Aviva, and will leave this role at the end of June.
The appointment was made public earlier this year, when the government said Douglas was their preferred candidate for this role. Douglas subsequently appeared before the Work and Pensions Committee, prior to being formally appointed to this role.
The chair is responsible for setting TPR’s strategic direction, maintaining relationships with ministers and industry and holding the regulator’s executive team to account. The appointment comes as the regulator’s role is under scrutiny following major policy developments, including the Pension Schemes Bill, the establishment of the Pensions Commission and the pensions dashboards programme.
The Minister for Pensions, Torsten Bell, says: “Douglas takes on this role as we deliver the most ambitious reform of the pensions landscape in a generation, all focused on making the system work harder for savers.
“TPR plays a crucial role in this and protecting the retirement savings of millions of working people across the UK, and I look forward to working with [Douglas] to make sure every worker in this country gets the retirement they’ve worked for.”
TPR CEO Nausicaa Delfas adds: “At this pivotal moment for the pensions sector, I’m delighted to welcome Emma Douglas as TPR’s new Chair.
“She bring a wealth of market experience that will be invaluable in helping to create a system that provides people with a sustainable income in retirement, security and value for all, and that could support UK prosperity more widely.”
Aviva welcomed the contribution that Douglas had made to the business in recent years. The company’s managing director of wealth Michele Golunska says: “We appreciate Emma’s valuable contribution to Aviva and extend our best wishes for her continued success as Chair of TPR.”