Our History
The idea of establishing a Pensions Archive was first mooted by Alan Herbert (Chairman of the Trust) in 2001, after his attendance at a reception in Bristol to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Edis Partnerships Limited. This prompted him to reflect on the longer period over which pension provision had been developed and the need to capture the story for future generations in view of the changes taking place.
In 2002, after taking further soundings across a number of people in the pensions field with a view to progressing such a project, The Pensions Archive Trust Steering Committee was established, and the Trust itself was constituted as a registered company, limited by guarantee in 2005.
After making appeals for sponsorship for the project, and exploring the possibility of setting up an independent archive within facilities at City University, the decision was taken to approach an existing archive service, in order to save financial resources and make use of the knowledge and skills of an already established repository.
In August 2006, PAT entered into discussions with LMA as to the development of a partnership that would enable PAT to promote and develop the study of the history of occupational and personal pension provision in the UK, providing a central source of information for researchers and students, and providing access to current practices and standards that had been adopted in relation to the management and administration of occupational pension schemes.
Following a series of meetings, this partnership was agreed upon, along with the decision to employ an Archivist based at LMA. A Liaison Committee comprised of representatives of PAT and LMA was established to discuss and plan programmes for the Pensions Archive and to set and monitor the work of the Archivist.
From April 2007, the Trust began acquiring archival collections at LMA. A reception was held at Guildhall Art Gallery to formally launch the Pensions Archive in February 2008, in the same month that the Trust gained charitable status.
Former Members
PAT has had many people involved in its inception and running, who have since moved on;
Alistair Ross Goobey CBE
Alastair Ross Goobey CBE was appointed as the first President of The Pensions Archive Trust in 2005.
He began his career in pensions at Kleinwort Benson in 1968 as a graduate trainee. His career included a period from 1977 to 1981 as investment manager of the Courtaulds pension fund and then until 1985 as a director of Geoffrey Morley and Partners. He was Chief Investment Strategist of broker James Capel from 1987 to 1993, where he ranked first on the Extel survey in 1990. Between January 1993 and December 2001 he was Chief Executive of Hermes Pensions Management (formerly PosTel), the principal investment managers of the £50 billion British Telecom and Post Office pension schemes.
He held the position of Chairman of the Hermes Focus Funds, John Wainwright and Co Ltd, and TR Property Investment Trust plc, and was Chairman of The Wellcome Trust, (the largest medical research charity), and Senior Advisor to and member of the European Advisory Board of Morgan Stanley. Since November 1997 he was a nominated member of the Council of Lloyds.
In 1986 he was asked by Nigel Lawson to act as his Special Adviser in HM Treasury in the run-up to the 1987 General Election; when Norman Lamont became Chancellor, Ross Goobey, was again asked to act as Special Adviser in the year up to the 1992 Election. He stood as a parliamentary candidate for West Leicester in 1979.
He was awarded the CBE in the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to pensions.
Sadly, Mr Ross Goobey died on 2 February 2008 aged 62. Read obituary
Maurice Oldfield
After education at the London School of Economics and National Service in the Royal Navy, Maurice Oldfield joined Proctor & Gamble Limited, becoming UK Pensions Manager in 1956, before moving to Remington Rand Limited as Pensions Manager in 1961. From 1966 until 1990, he was Group Pensions Manager of Allied Breweries, with responsibility for pension arrangements for businesses in France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Portugal, East Africa, USA and Canada.
Over 500 pension schemes of companies acquired in the UK were incorporated into the main fund, including those of J. Lyons & Company Limited. He became a Fellow of the Pensions Management Institute in 1976, Chairman of National Association of Pension Funds in 1982 and became the first Chairman of the European Federation for Retirement Provision (EFRP). He has also been Chairman of the Pre-Retirement Association and Chairman of PARITY.
In 1980, he established Kontax Limited, as a company within Allied Breweries, to provide pension schemes advice to small brewers, a business which he subsequently purchased and, after his retirement, enlarged to include schemes of small companies other than brewers. While Kontax was sold to Abbey National in 1995, its activities in trusteeship and pension documentation have been retained in another company, Understanding & Communication Limited, which Maurice had established in 1982.
He is the author of the five editions of Understanding Pension Schemes and Editor of the Pensions Management Institute Handbook.
He has also contributed numerous articles to pensions magazines and newspapers.
He has been involved with The Pensions Archive Trust since its inception and was appointed a Director in 2005. He retired from this post in 2008.
The Pensions Archive Trust - Registered Charity No. 1122633
Chairman - Alan Herbert Secretary - Chris Bedford Archivist - Susan Gentles
