
Scheme Secretarial & Governance
Day-to-day running of the meeting cycle, agendas and governance records — so nothing slips and nothing's late.
That means the secretariat, and the governance framework around it. In practice: running the meeting cycle, keeping the scheme’s governance records in order, coordinating your advisers, and making sure regulatory deadlines are met.
Schemes come to us for a variety of reasons. An in-house pensions manager retires. A company outsources its pensions function. Or a scheme heads into a buy-in, a transition or a change in how it manages risk and needs more capacity than it has.
We work with defined benefit, defined contribution and hybrid schemes, including authorised DC master trusts. We scale to what the scheme needs: interim cover for parental leave or a staffing gap, or a long-term appointment running the secretariat.
You don’t need to change your trustee arrangements to improve how your scheme is run. Governance services work as a standalone appointment, or alongside an IGG trusteeship.
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Day-to-day running of the meeting cycle, agendas and governance records — so nothing slips and nothing's late.

A clear-eyed view of how well your scheme's data and systems are protected, and what to fix first.

A robust, evidenced Own Risk Assessment that stands up to scrutiny — not just a box-ticking exercise.

Dedicated, experienced cover for schemes without an in-house pensions manager, scaled to what you need.

An independent read on how well your board is working, with clear steps to make it work better.
Looking for support beyond governance? Browse our full service range.
Explore moreOur approach is built around what a trustee board actually needs to make good decisions.
A scheme secretary works for the trustee board. They run the meeting cycle – agendas, papers, minutes and actions – and maintain the governance framework around it. An outsourced pensions manager sits between the company and the trustee board, running the scheme day to day. Some schemes need one, some need both, and the two roles can be split between us and your in-house team.
The core of it is the meeting cycle: agendas set with the chair, papers collated and issued, discussion and decisions minuted, actions tracked and chased. Around that sits the governance framework – the scheme calendar, risk register, conflicts register, training records and the regulatory submissions that fall due through the year.
Yes. Scheme secretarial, governance support and outsourced pensions management are all available as standalone appointments. You don’t need to change your trustee arrangements to appoint us, and we work equally well alongside an IGG trusteeship where that suits the scheme.
Three reasons come up most. Independence – we hold none of your scheme’s adviser mandates, so we can review their work and challenge it. Depth – a team absorbs peaks, covers absence and removes the risk of everything sitting with one person. And breadth – we see how a wide range of schemes are run, so you get a view of what good looks like rather than one house approach.
Yes. We scale to what the scheme needs, which might be one person working alongside your existing team, cover for a specific gap, or a fully outsourced function. Where there’s an in-house team, we agree the split of responsibilities at the outset so nothing falls between us.
Yes. As well as long-term appointments, we take on interim work: parental leave, a resignation, a recruitment gap, or a project that needs more hands than the scheme has. We can be appointed by the trustees or by the company.
Usually, yes – and it’s one of the most common reasons boards come to us. Late minutes and overrunning meetings are rarely a problem with the meeting itself. They’re a symptom of how papers, agendas and actions are handled around it. We agree turnaround times up front, structure papers so each decision is properly framed before the meeting, and hold advisers to the same deadlines.
Our scheme secretaries are pensions people, not note-takers. They come to the meeting having read the papers and the previous minutes, so they understand what’s being discussed and why it matters. Minutes are reviewed internally before they reach the board.

Trustee Director
Head of Outsourced Governance Services

Associate Director
Deputy Head of Outsourced Governance Services

Senior Pensions Manager
Outsourced Governance Services

Trustee Manager
Outsourced Governance Services

Trustee Manager
Outsourced Governance Services

Senior Associate
Outsourced Governance Services
Takes 5 minutes
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ADDRESS
4th Floor Cannon Place
78 Cannon Street
London
EC4N 6HL
Independent Governance Group ("IGG") is the trading name of Ross Trustees Services Limited (07904277), Clarity Trustees Limited (12470917), Independent Trustee Limited (02473669), Independent Trustee Services Limited (02567540) and Leadenhall Independent Trustees Limited (02303944) all registered in England and Wales at the following address: 4th Floor Cannon Place, 78 Cannon Street, London EC4N 6HL.
The Independent Governance Group of companies also includes IC Select Limited (SC331180) registered in Scotland c/o DWF LLP, 103 Waterloo Street, Glasgow G2 7BW, as well as KGC Associates Limited (08202496) and Like Minds UK Limited (05579121) which are both registered in England and Wales at 4th Floor Cannon Place, 78 Cannon Street, London EC4N 6HL.
© 2026 Hamsard 3776 Limited, Ross Trustees Services Limited & Independent Trustee Services Limited. All Rights Reserved.
We are audited annually as set out in the Relevant Trustee Supplement to ICAEW AAF 02/07 to support our inclusion in the TPR’s Independent Trustee Register.
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