Nest Corporation has announced the appointees to its employer and member panels.

The panels will provide a forum for employers and employees to give their perspectives on the national employment savings trust (Nest), and contribute to a range of issues and activities that may affect them now and in the future.

Each panel will be a sounding board for ideas and suggestions proposed by Nest Corporation, and provide recommendations on key issues, ensuring that any concerns are raised at trustee level.

The employer panel includes:

  • Jim Bligh, principal policy advisor at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), where he leads the employment relations and pensions team.
  • Alison Heywood, pensions director at Balfour Beatty, who is responsible for the pensions of 35,000 UK employees.
  • Ronke Lawal, chief executive of the Islington Chamber of Commerce, and founder of RSL Management Services, a marketing, PR and brand development firm.
  • Ian Naylor, UK legal and public affairs director at global recruitment firm, Randstad.
  • Francesca Okosi, director of corporate resources at the British Transport Police.
  • Phil Orford, chief executive of the Forum of Private Business.
  • Stephen Smith, chief executive and one of the founders of East Midlands Business (EMB), an economic development organisation.
  • Karen Thomson, associate director of policy, research and strategic visibility for the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP).
  • David Yeandle, director, government relations, of the European Employers Group, and a member of the Council of the Pensions Policy Institute.

    • The member panel includes:

    • Naomi Cooke, national pensions officer for the GMB trade union, representing more than 600,000 members across the public and private sector.
  • Malcolm McLean, consultant at independent actuaries and consultants Barnett Waddingham.
  • Stella Okeahialam, programme director at the Institute for Sustainability, where she is responsible for governance, implementation, quality and risk management.
  • Doug Taylor, the financial services chief advocate at Which?, where he co-ordinates the diverse strands of the Which? personal finance campaigns.
  • Wendy van den Hende, chief executive of financial education programme Personal Finance Education Group (Pfeg).

    • Paul Jagger, chair of Nest Corporation’s employer panel, said: “Nest has been designed for employers of all sizes and sectors and we expect it to be used by employers in every region of the UK, including some of the very largest.

    “It is vital that employers’ issues and concerns can be fully represented to the Nest trustee.

    “The employer panel will play a critical role in ensuring the scheme works for all the employers that use it and in helping us to make sure Nest understands employers’ needs.”

    Museji Takolia, chair of Nest’s member panel, added: “The member panel is an essential part of the framework that helps ensure Nest is run in the interests of its members.

    “The member panel will have a critical role in ensuring that issues affecting Nest members can be represented.

    “I am very pleased with the range of expertise and backgrounds we have in our initial appointees.

    “This is a great starting point for the panel, which over time will grow to represent millions of workers from around the country.”

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