Railpen, which manages the railways pension schemes, has appointed two new trustee directors.
Martin Hunter and John McBridge will take up this role for the £36bn railways pension schemes, which is governed by the Railways Pensions Trustee Company.
Martin Hunter joins the trustee board from Transport for London, where he serves as chief executive of the TfL Pension Fund and director of pensions.
Hunter brings extensive experience of operating large, open DB pension schemes within the transport sector.
Having previously served the railways pension schemes as head of integrated funding at Railpen, Hunter offers a strong understanding of the schemes, alongside first-hand knowledge of the trustee’s responsibilities and decision-making processes.
John McBride brings more than 30 years of experience in the rail industry, including senior leadership roles with the British Transport Police (BTP). He retired in 2018 as chief superintendent and, in 2022, rejoined the BTP Force superannuation fund management committee as an elected pensioner representative.
Through his work on the committee, McBride continues to apply his extensive experience in governance and risk management to support member-focused decision making.
They replace two trustee directors who retired on 1 July: John Wilson, who was a trustee director since 2008, and Peter Holden, who was a trustee director since 2019.
Trustee chair Christine Kernoghan says: “I’m thrilled to welcome Martin and John to the trustee board. At a time of significant change across both the pensions and rail industries, the years of experience and variety of skills they each bring to the role will be invaluable as the trustee continues to deliver its mission to pay members’ pensions securely, affordably and sustainably.”
Martin Hunter, trustee director, says “I am a very strong believer in the vital role that pensions, and in particular DB schemes, play in providing security and financial dignity to workers in their retirement, and I am proud to be called to serve the members of the railway pension schemes.”
John McBride, trustee director, adds: “I am looking forward to extending my focus on protecting members’ long-term financial security in the ever-changing pensions landscape to all sections of the railways pension schemes.”
