London, 12 November 2020: PensionBee, a leading online pension provider, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mary Francis CBE as Senior Independent Director, effective 2 November 2020. Mary will Chair the Remuneration Committee and will be a member of the Audit & Risk, Investment and Nominations Committees.
Mary brings significant experience across the financial services sector and in corporate governance at public companies from her current roles as Non-executive Director at Barclays plc, Barclays Bank plc and Valaris plc, and from her previous roles on the Boards of Swiss Re Group, Centrica plc and Aviva plc. Mary is currently also a member of the UK Takeover Appeal Board and the Advisory Panel of the Institute of Business Ethics.
Through Mary’s former senior executive positions with HM Treasury, the Prime Minister’s office, and as Director General of the Association of British Insurers, Mary brings to the Board a breadth of experience spanning both the public and private sector.
Mary joins former Prudential Chief Executive and PensionBee Chairman Mark Wood CBE on the Board, as well as former Chief Executive of The Pensions Advisory Service, Michelle Cracknell CBE. Alongside Mary’s appointment, PensionBee has made a series of internal promotions within the executive management team. PensionBee has promoted Christoph Martin, formerly Head of Finance, to Chief Financial Officer and Lisa Picardo, formerly Managing Director, to Chief Corporate Officer. Christoph, Lisa and Chief Executive Officer, Romi Savova, worked together at Morgan Stanley.
Mary’s appointment, combined with the strengthening of the operational management team, underpins PensionBee’s focus on strong corporate governance and marks a significant step forward in achieving its ambition to become a publicly listed company.
Mark Wood CBE, Chairman of PensionBee, commented: “I am extremely pleased to welcome Mary to the Board. She is a highly respected business leader who brings a wealth of experience in strong corporate governance. PensionBee has a unique proposition which has delighted its customers and driven strong growth since founding in 2014. Mary’s experience at listed companies will be invaluable as we seek to build on our success to date and accelerate towards our ambition of becoming a public company.”
Mary Francis CBE commented “I am delighted to be joining PensionBee as the business continues to go from strength to strength. The PensionBee offer is unrivalled, it has an exceptional management team and Board, and the opportunity for growth is immense. The company is well set to continue its strong growth trajectory and I look forward to drawing on my PLC experience to support Romi and the executive management team in taking the company forward.”
Notes to editors
Mary Francis CBE biography
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.
