Environmental, social and corporate governance
We’re conscious of the environmental, social and corporate governance impact we can have as a leading pension company, and we intend to use our influence to build a better future - for our customers, society and the planet
As a fully online pension provider with a small London office, PensionBee's direct environmental impact is limited. However, with assets under administration of £3.4 billion, we have the ability to drive positive change in all the companies our customers are invested in, to help tackle the biggest challenges facing our planet. We believe that pension providers have a crucial role to play in the transition from the carbon economy to one based on renewable energy sources. Here's how we're taking action.
Helping thousands of pension savers invest in funds that align with their values
Customer feedback shapes how we do things at PensionBee. When our customers told us they wanted a plan that both builds a pension pot for retirement, as well as a better world to retire into, we responded with the PensionBee Impact Plan. Our Impact Plan invests exclusively in companies addressing the world's great social and environmental problems, while saving for a happy retirement.
Minimising our impact on the environment
PensionBee is committed to achieving net zero emissions across the entire business by 2050 at the latest. Our net zero commitment is in accordance with the science of the Paris Agreement and keeping warming within 1.5C by the end of this century. We offer fully remote working to all employees and only use cloud-hosted web services which remove the need for servers. Our website is powered by 100% renewable energy and our London office premises use 100% renewable REGO sustainable green electricity. In 2022, PensionBee won a place on the Mayor's Business Climate Challenge (BCC), an ambitious energy efficiency programme which supports businesses to reduce their energy consumption, to accelerate building-decarbonisation efforts and contribute to London's target of becoming a zero carbon city by 2030.
First provider to offer a mainstream fossil fuel free investment option
PensionBee offers the Fossil Fuel Free Plan, managed by Legal & General. The Fossil Fuel Free Plan is one of the UK's first mainstream private pensions to exclude companies with proven or probable reserves in oil, gas or coal, tobacco companies, manufacturers of controversial weapons and persistent violators of the UN Global Compact.
Environmental documentation
Browse and download our environmental documentation on our ESG Document Hub
PensionBee has a well established history of fostering diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Social inclusion is central to our vision of living in a world where everyone can look forward to a happy retirement and to our ambition to create the kind of workplace where all PensionBee colleagues can succeed as themselves. Our diverse workforce reflects our diverse society, and we run and support a number of initiatives that improve social inclusion.
Building diverse teams
40% of PensionBee staff self-identify their ethnicity as Asian, Black, Mixed, multiple or other ethnic representation. We achieved 52% female and minority gender representation across the entire employee base. We champion women in key positions - with 57% female representation at Board level and 50% at Executive Management level - because we believe that creating an inclusive company is crucial to building an inclusive product. We're also proud to pay our colleagues the London Living Wage, wherever they live in the UK, and work with ShareAction on making the Living Wage a reality across the UK. In 2022, PensionBee continued disclosing under the Workforce Disclosure Initiative (WDI) with a disclosure score of 89%. The WDI aims to improve corporate transparency and accountability on workforce issues.
Working with our wider community
PensionBee deepened its work with different local state schools by creating tailored work experience placements for students and a disability inclusion-focused partnership. We also extended our engagement activities to students at Birkbeck University, via the Diversity Project. Our aim is to promote a financial services sector where anyone can build a fulfilling career, regardless of their background or personal characteristics. We collaborate with multiple charities in various ways including a digital insight exchange with Independent Age, a team-building volunteering event with RSPB Wildlife Charity, and a charity bike ride from London to Brighton to fundraise for Great Ormond Street Hospital. We also donate laptops to Mer-IT, a community interest company that recycles old devices for training use in vocational community repair workshops, to promote IT recycling as well as social inclusion. Elsewhere, we're a proud member of the Race at Work Charter, the Women in Finance Charter and a signatory of the Tech Talent Charter.
Fighting for a fairer pension system
We're committed to helping our customers overcome the barriers that still exist in the pensions system. We tell their stories to shine a light on the worst practices of the industry, and we're leading the campaign for an industry-wide commitment to a pension switch guarantee. We help our customers take control of their finances and help fight for their rights as savers. We support savers from all social backgrounds and aim to address financial inequality wherever it exists. Ultimately, our aim is to help our customers achieve financial freedom, to the benefit of not just themselves, but also society.
PensionBee is an active participant in industry groups. Our vision is for all our customers to achieve financial freedom and a core part of that is ensuring we have a policy environment that allows all savers to take control of their finances and fight for their rights as savers. We're committed to conscientious corporate governance and upholding the highest standards, including maintaining the right balance of skills, experience and diversity.
Committed to the UK Corporate Governance Code
PensionBee voluntarily complies with the UK Corporate Governance Code, which sets out standards of good practice in relation to board leadership and effectiveness, remuneration, accountability and relations with shareholders. The manner in which we apply the Code's requirements is explained in our annual report.
Christoph Martin
Christoph Martin
An experienced board
Alongside our CEO, Romi Savova, our CTO, Jonathan Lister Parsons, and our CFO, Christoph J. Martin, our Board consists of four independent directors - Mark Wood CBE, Mary Francis CBE, Michelle Cracknell CBE and Lara Oyesanya FRSA - who offer outside perspectives and bring decades of expertise. Collectively, they ensure that our strategy is sound, and delivered in line with our commitments to sustainability.
Dedicated to the fair treatment of all stakeholders
Regular engagement with all our stakeholders is at the core of our responsible business model. We maintain a comprehensive risk management process designed to identify, monitor and mitigate risks that arise from our business activities. This assists us in meeting our obligations to key stakeholders, including customers, employees, regulators and broader society. We use due diligence as a means to identify and prevent human rights risks to people in our business and value chain. We act ethically in all business dealings and expect our Suppliers to uphold these principles and urge them to adopt similar policies within their own businesses.
Governance documentation
Browse and download our governance documentation on our ESG Document Hub
Mark Wood CBE
Non-Executive ChairAppointed to the Board January 2016
Experience
Mark Wood CBE has had a long and distinguished career, serving as Chief Executive of some of the country’s largest financial services companies, including Prudential UK & Europe, Axa UK and Jardine Lloyd Thompson Employee Benefits. Mark is a regular commentator in the press on pensions and insurance.
Mark has been at the helm of several financial services and technology start-ups, including Paternoster, a regulated insurance company which he founded in 2005, and Digitalis Reputation Management, the online reputation management company, where he currently serves as Chairman. Mark is a qualified Chartered Accountant.
He was previously the Chairman of the NSPCC and was awarded a CBE in 2017 for services to children.
Committee Membership
- Investment Committee (Chair)
- Nomination Committee (Chair)
- Remuneration Committee
External Appointments
- Chairman, Digitalis Reputation Limited
- Senior Independent Director, RAC Group Ltd
- Chairman, Utility Bidder Limited
- Chairman, Acquis Insurance Management Limited
- Chairman, Ondo InsurTech Plc
- Chairman, Everest Funeral Concierge (UK) Limited
- Trustee, Multiple Sclerosis Society Research Appeal Board
- Trustee, The Gregory Centre for Church Multiplication
Mary Francis CBE
Senior Independent DirectorAppointed to the Board November 2020
Experience
Mary Francis CBE has extensive and diverse board-level experience across a range of industries, including previous Non-Executive Directorships at the Bank of England, Alliance & Leicester, Aviva, Centrica and Swiss Re Group.
Through her former senior executive positions with HM Treasury, the Prime Minister’s Office, and as Director General of the Association of British Insurers, Mary brings strong governance values to the board, a strong understanding of the interaction between public and private sectors, and skills in strategic decision-making and reputation management.
Mary was awarded a CBE in 2006 for her services to business.
Committee Membership
- Remuneration Committee (Chair)
- Audit & Risk Committee
- Investment Committee
- Nomination Committee
External Appointments
- Non-Executive Director, Barclays plc and Barclays Bank plc
- Member of the UK Takeover Appeal Board
- Senior Adviser, Chatham House
Michelle Cracknell CBE
Independent Non-Executive DirectorAppointed to the Board November 2019
Experience
Michelle Cracknell CBE has a portfolio career as a Pension Trustee and Non-Executive Director. She has over 30 years’ experience in pensions and retirement planning, including most recently as the Chief Executive of the Pensions Advisory Service. During her time there she significantly grew the number of customers and increased the channels offered, transforming the service to provide greater support on pension freedom legislation, pension scams and transfers from pension schemes. Michelle was awarded a CBE in 2019 for her services to the pensions industry.
Michelle started her career at a financial advice business where she became a shareholding Director prior to selling it to Aegon, and subsequently worked as a Strategy Director at Skandia/Old Mutual. Michelle is a qualified Pensions Actuary.
Committee Membership
- Audit & Risk Committee (Chair)
- Investment Committee
- Nomination Committee
- Remuneration Committee
External Appointments
- Chair, Fidelity Retirement Services
- Non-Executive Director and Trustee, Lloyds Your Tomorrow Trustee Limited
- Non-Executive Director and Trustee, Lloyds Banking Group Pensions Trustees Limited
- Independent Non-Executive Director, Non-Executive Director, Just Group Plc
- Independent Non-Executive Director, Just Retirement Limited
- Chair, Fidelity Wealth Management Limited
- Independent Non-Executive Director, Fidelity Holdings (UK) Limited
- Independent Non-Executive Director, Financial Administration Services Ltd
- Independent Non-Executive Director, Partnership Life Assurance Company Limited
- Trustee, Singing Gorilla Projects Charity
Lara Oyesanya FRSA
Independent Non-Executive DirectorAppointed to the Board April 2022
Experience
Lara Oyesanya is the General Counsel and Company Secretary at Zepz Group and has extensive legal, regulatory and commercial experience across multiple industries, as well as significant compliance, governance and data privacy expertise. She was previously General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer at Contis Group and has held a number of senior roles at FTSE 100 and financial services businesses including Klarna and Barclays.
Lara is a barrister of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales. She is a member of the Nominating and Governance Committee, Plan International Worldwide. Additionally, Lara is a co-opted Member, Committee on Benefactions and External and Legal Affairs, a committee of the University of Cambridge Council, advising the Vice Chancellor.
Committee Membership
- Audit & Risk Committee
- Investment Committee
- Nomination Committee
- Remuneration Committee
External Appointments
- Trustee, Shaw Trust
- Trustee, Plan International UK Ltd
- Co-opted Member, Committee on Benefactions, External and Legal Affairs, a Committee of the University of Cambridge
Romi Savova
Chief Executive OfficerAppointed to the Board December 2014
Experience
Romi Savova founded PensionBee in 2014 to simplify pension savings in the UK, following a difficult pension transfer experience of her own. As the Chief Executive Officer, she has played a pivotal role in advancing consumer standards in the pensions industry, from reducing transfer times to campaigning for the full abolition of exit fees. Romi is also a member of the government’s Pensions Dashboards Programme Steering Group, which was set up to advise on the delivery of pensions dashboards.
Prior to founding PensionBee, Romi worked at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Credit Benchmark, holding varied roles in risk management, investment banking and financial technology. Romi received an MBA from Harvard Business School as a George F. Baker scholar and graduated summa cum laude from Emory University.
Committee Membership
- Investment Committee
- Nomination Committee
External Appointments
- Director, Seen on Screen
- Director, PensionBee Trustees Limited
Jonathan Lister Parsons
Chief Technology OfficerAppointed to the Board January 2016
Experience
Jonathan Lister Parsons co-founded PensionBee with Romi in 2014. In his role as the Chief Technology Officer, he is passionate about bringing customers' pension experience into the 21st century, and using technology to transform pension transfer processes that typically take months to a five-minute process on a smartphone.
Jonathan champions a tech-forward culture within the business, aiming to raise the level of technology literacy among employees, and creating opportunities for people to develop technical skills as they move through different roles in their career at PensionBee.
Prior to co-founding PensionBee, Jonathan founded a digital consultancy, Penrose, and worked at British Telecom. Jonathan holds an MSci in Experimental and Theoretical Physics from the University of Cambridge.
External Appointments
- Director, PensionBee Trustees Limited
Christoph J. Martin
Chief Financial OfficerAppointed to the Board June 2022
Experience
Christoph J. Martin is the Chief Financial Officer of PensionBee, having joined the company in 2019. He is responsible for financial reporting and business planning at PensionBee. He is Responsible for financial reporting, and business planning at PensionBee. Christoph regularly engages with the public markets, including PensionBee’s investors, to communicate the company’s financial objectives.
Christoph previously worked in private equity investment at Providence Equity Partners, focusing on investments in technology, media, telecommunications and education. Prior to that he worked in mergers and acquisitions, covering financial institutions at Morgan Stanley. Christoph holds a BSc in Business Administration from the WU Vienna.
External Appointments
- None
Romi Savova
Chief Executive OfficerExperience
Romi Savova founded PensionBee in 2014 to simplify pension savings in the UK, following a difficult pension transfer experience of her own. As the Chief Executive Officer, she has played a pivotal role in advancing consumer standards in the pensions industry, from reducing transfer times to campaigning for the full abolition of exit fees. Romi is also a member of the government’s Pensions Dashboards Programme Steering Group, which was set up to advise on the delivery of pensions dashboards.
Prior to founding PensionBee, Romi worked at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Credit Benchmark, holding varied roles in risk management, investment banking and financial technology. Romi received an MBA from Harvard Business School as a George F. Baker scholar and graduated summa cum laude from Emory University.
Jonathan Lister Parsons
Chief Technology OfficerExperience
Jonathan Lister Parsons co-founded PensionBee with Romi in 2014. In his role as the Chief Technology Officer, he is passionate about bringing customers' pension experience into the 21st century, and using technology to transform pension transfer processes that typically take months to a five-minute process on a smartphone.
Jonathan champions a tech-forward culture within the business, aiming to raise the level of technology literacy among employees, and creating opportunities for people to develop technical skills as they move through different roles in their career at PensionBee.
Prior to co-founding PensionBee, Jonathan founded a digital consultancy, Penrose, and worked at British Telecom. Jonathan holds an MSci in Experimental and Theoretical Physics from the University of Cambridge.
Jasper Martens
Chief Marketing OfficerExperience
Jasper Martens is the Chief Marketing Officer of PensionBee, having joined the company in 2015. He is responsible for marketing across the business and brings extensive multichannel marketing experience to PensionBee, gathered over 15 years working in financial services and digital agencies.
Prior to joining PensionBee, Jasper was Head of Marketing and Communications at small business insurance provider, Simply Business and advised other fintechs such as Superscript on their marketing strategy. Before moving to London, Jasper ran his own online marketing agency which he founded in the Netherlands.
Christoph J. Martin
Chief Financial OfficerExperience
Christoph J. Martin is the Chief Financial Officer of PensionBee, having joined the company in 2019. He is responsible for financial reporting and business planning at PensionBee. He is Responsible for financial reporting, and business planning at PensionBee. Christoph regularly engages with the public markets, including PensionBee’s investors, to communicate the company’s financial objectives.
Christoph previously worked in private equity investment at Providence Equity Partners, focusing on investments in technology, media, telecommunications and education. Prior to that he worked in mergers and acquisitions, covering financial institutions at Morgan Stanley. Christoph holds a BSc in Business Administration from the WU Vienna.
External Appointments
- None
Tess Nicholson
Chief Operating OfficerExperience
Tess Nicholson is the Chief Operating Officer of PensionBee, having joined the company in 2015. She is responsible for a range of operational activities across the business, including customer success, compliance and banking operations.
Tess was previously Operations Manager and UK Commercial Manager at GO Markets UK Trading Limited (formerly Vantage FX UK Trading Limited). Tess holds a BA Hons degree in Fashion Design with Communication from Birmingham City University and is currently studying for a Masters in Social & Political Theory at Birkbeck, University of London.
Lisa Picardo
Chief Corporate OfficerExperience
Lisa Picardo is the Chief Corporate Officer of PensionBee, having joined the company in 2020. She leads the corporate development of PensionBee, which has included leading on the company’s IPO and subsequent transfer to the Premium List, and plays a broader management role across many aspects of the business.
Lisa previously worked at Morgan Stanley for 13 years, with the first seven years spent in the European Mergers & Acquisitions department, where she gained extensive experience working on many large and complex UK public transactions, and also played a role in firm management. Lisa then joined the Morgan Stanley Private Equity Fund, focused on investing in mid-market opportunities across sectors, with an interest in consumer-facing businesses. In 2015, Lisa founded LITTLECIRCLE, an online luxury childrenswear retailer with a platform for pre-loved fashion. Lisa holds a BSc in Economics from Bristol University.
External Appointments
- Founding Member, Breast Cancer Now Development Board.
Clare Reilly
Chief Engagement OfficerExperience
Clare Reilly is the Chief Engagement Officer of PensionBee, having joined the company in 2017. She is responsible for the investment range and managing the environmental, social and governance framework in line with the PensionBee vision.
Clare previously worked in the not-for-profit sector, in Corporate Relations at Citizens Advice and Fellowship at the Royal Society of Arts. Clare holds a BA Hons from University College London and an MSc from the University of Oxford in Russian and East European Studies.
Adebola Haffner
Senior Legal CounselExperience
Adebola Haffner is the Senior Legal Counsel at PensionBee, having joined the company in April 2021. He is responsible for helping the company meet its legal and regulatory obligations, offering strategic legal advice to the executive team and board.
Prior to joining PensionBee, Adebola was a Legal Counsel and member of the legal team at Transact for almost 5 years, dealing with a wide range of matters including product development, trusts, pension death benefit processes and decision making, risk management, compliance, regulatory matters, corporate and commercial legal issues. Adebola has also worked for a number of trust companies in the past including Capita Trust Company Ltd and ATU General Trust (BVI) Limited. Adebola holds a Law Degree, Masters in Law (LLM) and also holds the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners “TEP” (Trust and Estate Practitioner) designation.
Matt Loft
Chief Design OfficerExperience
Matt Loft is Chief Design Officer at PensionBee, having joined the company in 2015. He is responsible for the design and customer experience of PensionBee's products and the company's visual brand, bringing over 18 years experience in designing customer-centric products.
Prior to joining PensionBee, Matt worked at design agencies and in-house for some of the UK's largest companies and organisations, including The Money Advice Service, Legal & General, The Ministry of Justice, Oxford University and the V&A.
Petra Miskov
Chief Risk OfficerExperience
Petra Miskov is the Chief Risk Officer of PensionBee, having joined the company in 2022. She is responsible for enterprise risk management, including maintaining an integrated risk framework, with a special interest in collaborative risk culture.
Prior to joining PensionBee, Petra worked at the London Stock Exchange, Goldman Sachs, Ernst & Young, KPMG and Mercer in a variety of senior roles in the areas of risk management, quantitative advisory, investment management and pension consulting. Petra holds a MSci in Mathematics and Statistics from the New York University and she graduated summa cum laude from the City University of New York.