…. introducing the next generation of rising stars in the DC pensions industry. This month we hear from James Cansfield, an account consultant at EBC.
What is involved in your current role?
I’m an account consultant in the platform team at Employee Benefits Collective (EBC). Day to day, I help launch platforms for new clients, to showcase their existing benefits as well as setting up new benefits to expand their offering. A large part of my role involves managing annual renewals, alongside any mid-year changes or benefit windows clients may have. I also oversee the overall look, feel and usability of each platform, making sure it reflects the client’s culture and delivers the experience employees expect.
What’s the best and worst thing about your job?
The part of my job that I enjoy most is the client-facing side, where I get to be the single point of contact if a client has any questions or wants to make changes to the platform. I get to build relationships, solve problems quickly and make sure everything lands smoothly and on time. It’s rewarding seeing a platform go from a concept to something employees genuinely use and value. I also value the open-door policy at EBC: I always
have access to the partners for help and support if I need it. The part I enjoy least is some of the more administrative tasks, but they’re an important part of getting things right. In a consultancy like EBC, accuracy matters, so attention to detail is essential.
What made you apply for a role in the pensions/employee benefits industry?
Like many people I fell into the industry by chance. After university, I was looking for graduate opportunities and came across a short-term role at EBC, a company I already knew a little about. Four years later, I’m still here. It’s
genuinely far more interesting than I expected, and I never realised how relevant employee benefits would be for younger people. Working in the industry has made me more aware of the value benefits can have in supporting
people’s financial wellbeing, health and overall work-life balance.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
When I first joined EBC after university, my dad made it clear how important it was to throw myself into every opportunity, even if it sat outside my immediate role. That mindset has really helped me. Any opportunity to learn about different parts of the industry is valuable and has helped me grow personally and professionally.
How can industry attract and engage more young people?
I think the industry could do a better job of showing younger people how varied and relevant the work is. A lot of people still see pensions and employee benefits as old-fashioned or overly complicated. Through my work at EBC, I see an industry that is evolving quickly, particularly around technology, employee experience and making benefits easier for employees to access and understand. If this fast pace was conveyed, along with the opportunities to get involved in areas ranging from legislation to wellbeing and consulting, I think it would be more attractive.
If you were in charge of pension policy, what would you change?
I’d focus on making pensions easier to understand and engage with from a younger age. A lot of people still see pensions as something complicated that doesn’t currently affect them, so clearer communication and more user-friendly digital tools could make a huge difference. I think simpler language, better online experiences and tools that show people the progress they’re making towards their financial goals would help people feel far more connected to their pension savings. I’d also like to see more flexibility within pension saving, particularly for younger generations whose careers and financial priorities look very different to previous generations.
What was your dream job when you were at school?
I’ve always been obsessed with sport, so when I was younger I wanted to be a footballer or cricketer. Once I realised professional sport probably wasn’t going to happen, I developed an interest in law and wanted to become a criminal lawyer. The employee benefits industry has quite a few similarities to law, and that’s what appeals to me: understanding people, solving problems and helping make a positive difference to people’s lives.
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