Cardano, the investment management and advisory business, today formally launches its dedicated risk settlement advisory offering for pension schemes considering a buy-in or buyout transaction. This specialist service expands Cardano’s delivery of tailored de-risking solutions focused on improving members’ outcomes. To support this new offering we welcome Frankie Borrell, Andreas Vermeiren and Aman Ruparelia to Cardano Advisory.

Frankie joins as Head of Risk Settlement. He spent the prior eleven years working at three bulk annuity providers. Most recently he led the Client Solutions team within Legal & General’s Pension Risk Transfer (PRT) team, who led on product innovation such as their Assured Payment Policy (APP) solution. He has been involved in over 100 PRT transactions, ranging from £2 million to nearly £1 billion.

Andreas joins as a Director from the insurer Standard Life, where he had responsibility for the end-to-end investment process for bulk annuities. He has been involved in the transfer of £10 billion of pension liabilities through buy-ins and buyouts. Andreas has the wide-ranging expertise to deliver integrated de-risking investment advice across areas such hedging insurer pricing, illiquid asset management and in-specie asset transfers.

Aman joins as an Analyst from LCP where he advised trustees on end-game solutions, including project managing pension scheme buy-ins ranging from £10 million to £1 billion. Aman’s hands-on experience includes engaging stakeholders, preparing transaction project plans and successfully delivering them.

The buy-in and buyout brokering service will be available for pension schemes of any size.

Frankie Borrell, Head of Risk Settlement commented:

“I’m delighted to have joined Cardano. It’s clear to me that Cardano likes to challenge the norm whilst delivering thoughtful and outcome-driven advice. Our risk settlement offering will be no different.

“This is a really exciting and interesting time for the de-risking market and one that presents a great deal of opportunity for trustees. Where buyout is the right choice, then trustees can rely on us to deliver recent and in-depth insurer side expertise that will maximise success as they prepare for and then engage in a buyout transaction process.

“But it’s important to say that we’re a client driven, not a product driven, business. So that means trustees can trust Cardano to work with them to identify and then deliver the right solution for their pension scheme and members, whether that’s buyout or an alternative path.”

Adolfo Aponte, Managing Director who leads Cardano Advisory’s Risk Solutions team, said:

“We’re very pleased to welcome Frankie, Andreas and Aman to the team. In a busy insurance market, pension schemes that have set their eyes on an annuity policy, will need specialist negotiators that understand what will get them to the front of a queue and deliver the best possible transaction. 

“There is also more choice than ever before to manage pension scheme risk. Scheme advisers need to be able to robustly challenge the de-risking solutions available and this is exactly what Cardano will deliver.”