WTW has appointed Mark French and Karen Tilford to lead its central research & support (CRS) team within its DC consulting business.
The appointments follow the announcement that Roy Edie will retire at the end of the year, after leading the CRS team for the past 30 years.
French’s role will be to lead WTW’s DC provider research efforts in the UK. Tilford will lead people management within the CRS team, while also maintaining her existing provider research role.
French has been with WTW for over 15 years and has worked in the company’s retirement business during that time, focusing on DC provider research.
Tilford has been with WTW for over 26 years and worked in several roles before moving into a DC pensions research consultancy role in 2013.
Reporting to Helen Gilchrist, co-Head of WTW’s DC consulting team, they will start their new roles with immediate effect. WTW said this will enable a comfortable transition period before Edie formally retires at the end of the year.
Gilchrist says that both French and Tilford have shown their ability to lead from the front for many years and develop strong relationships with pension providers. She adds: “We are excited by the opportunity they now have to shape our central research & support team and keep WTW at the vanguard of DC research, particularly given the fast pace of change that is occurring in the provider space at the moment.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Roy on behalf of WTW and the whole DC pensions industry. He has been at the forefront of provider research throughout his career and has become a hugely respected personality in our industry over these years.”
