Overview
Claire has extensive experience advising trustees and companies on all aspects of pensions law, including pension scheme mergers and consolidations, benefit change, equalisation issues, investment management matters, flexible benefit programmes, innovative funding solutions involving contingent assets and SLP structures, and liability management initiatives involving swap and insurance-based products.
Claire has a portfolio of pension fund clients, which includes: the Railways Pension Scheme, the Rolls-Royce UK Pension Fund, the AstraZeneca Pension Fund, the British American Tobacco UK Pension Fund, Sainsbury’s, Kier Group and Balfour Beatty.
Work highlights
Claire’s extensive pensions experience includes advising on:
- the merger of the Rolls-Royce pension funds;
- the transfer to master trust of the Kier Group pension arrangements;
- a complex funding journey planning agreements involving the use of security over a property portfolio;
- the pensions implication of the Sainsbury’s/ASDA merger;
- longevity swap and buyout transactions including the recent £1.6bn buy-in contract concluded by the Trustee of the Rentokil Initial Pension Scheme and the £4.6bn buy-in contract concluded by the Trustee of the Rolls Royce UK Pension Fund.
Professional Experience
Claire has previously been a member of a number of committees at the Association of Pension Lawyers (APL) including the Legislative and Parliamentary Sub-Committee.
She regularly speaks at industry events including the PLSA Annual Conference, and contributes to various publications, including the Firm’s Trustee Agenda.
Education
Claire studied law at the University of Leeds.
She speaks English and French.
