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ABERDEEN SEMINAR TO HIGHLIGHT IMPACT OF MAJOR CHANGES IN EMPLOYEE BENEFITS AND PENSIONS MARKET

Major changes impacting on company operations and on the lifestyles of employees are to be highlighted at a seminar in Aberdeen this month (June) which will be addressed by leading experts in benefits, pensions and savings.

Alan Fergusson, Director - Employee Benefits at Kudos Financial Services which will host the seminar, commented: “The UK employee benefits and pensions market is gearing up for huge changes, driven by a range of dynamics - from UK Government policy and European directives and regulations to the market and the prospect of automatic enrolment for pensions, all at the same time as employers and staff alike are striving to recover from recession.”

The seminar will deal with key issues impacting on all employers, including:

Welfare Reform

• Will the Government's Welfare Reform Bill seek to tighten the gateway to benefits for those people unable to work due to sickness or injury?

• The Equality Act became law in October 2010 bringing together all discrimination protection laws, such as the Disability Discrimination Act, under one piece of simple legislation. What impact will this have on employee benefit programmes?

• Although the Government has granted an exemption from a benefits perspective to providing benefits post State Pension Age, how does this fit with the age discrimination legislation and the need to treat all employees who work past their 65th birthday the same as those who are pre age 65?

Work Place Savings

• Over the last couple of years, we have witnessed a growing interest from employers in offering alternative forms of workplace savings. Some companies have started to join up share plans with other savings options by offering a share plan maturity package whereby share plans can be rolled over into a group self invested personal pension (GSIPP) or individual savings account (ISA).

How will these alternative workplace savings designs impact on your current employee benefit strategies?

Auto Enrolment

• The new auto enrolment legislation comes into effect on 1 October 2012 and will have implications for all sizes of business. Has consideration been given to how this will influence current pension and retirement strategies and the potential increase in cost and administration?

To be held at the Marcliffe at Pitfodels Hotel & Spa from 1pm-6pm on Wednesday 22 June as part of Kudos’s 20th anniversary celebrations, the seminar - Employee Benefits - the Future - will also examine aspects of welfare reform, workplace savings and automatic enrolment.

The audience of Human Resources and Compensation & Benefits professionals will hear speakers including:

• Adrian Boulding, Pensions Strategy Director at Legal & General, a leading UK financial services company, he analyses and advises on implications of legislative change on pensions and savings products. An advisor to industry trade bodies and Government, he is also a widely-quoted media commentator.

• Jack McGarry, Chief Executive Officer of Unum UK, responsible for shaping the development of one of the UK’s leading financial protection insurers and ensuring delivery of strategic objectives. He was previously Senior Vice President of Unum’s US Risk Management Organisation, following various roles with the company since 1986.

• Alan Fergusson, Employee Benefits Director, Kudos Financial Services, he heads up the Division while also focusing on advising and developing large corporate clients. Alan’s role involves working closely with senior HR professionals to design, implement and communicate employee benefits programmes which link their organisational business goals and reward strategy.

To register interest in attending the seminar at the Marcliffe at Pitfodels Hotel & Spa, Aberdeen, from 1pm-6pm on Wednesday 22 June, contact Allison Bowkett on 01224 652100, or email KudosEB@kudos-ifs.co.uk

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