Clarity Trustees joins IGG

Independent Governance Group (IGG), the UK’s leading provider of professional pensions trusteeship and governance services, today announces it has acquired Clarity Trustees to further expand the newly formed Group’s client base and professional team.

Clarity Trustees founder Karein Davie joins IGG on 27 February 2023. She brings with her over 20 years of pensions experience built with firms such as PwC, Hymans Robertson and Mercer.

Karein is a fully accredited professional trustee. Her areas of expertise range from designing and implementing de-risking solutions for schemes and setting long-term funding objectives, to undertaking member option exercises, corporate restructurings, and reviewing investment and fiduciary management options, along with transitions to DC Master Trusts.

Karein will continue to lead work for all her existing clients. Her portfolio is comprised of schemes that are drawn from a range of sectors and business sizes – from family businesses to PE-backed multi-nationals – she holds appointments as Chair of Trustees and as co-trustee.

The move comes hot on the heels of IGG’s formation through the merger of Ross Trustees with Independent Trustee Services to create a governance powerhouse, with 440+ appointments and more than £340bn of combined assets under governance. These numbers will increase as a result of this latest acquisition.

Leading private equity investor LDC, which invested in Ross Trustees in 2020, provided additional funding to support the transaction and is now the private equity partner of the combined group.

Andrew Bradshaw, CEO of Independent Governance Group, commented:

“I am delighted to welcome Karein and her clients to IGG at this exciting time for the business. Our team will benefit enormously from her wealth of experience and hands-on approach to professional trusteeship, while her arrival marks an important strategic milestone as we continue to expand our regional presence.

“The economic environment presents new opportunities and challenging headwinds for pension schemes, which makes it even more important that clients benefit from the very best talent and expert support. Clarity Trustees shares our commitment to providing exceptional client service and I am confident that Karein will quickly find a home at IGG.”

 Karein Davie, founder of Clarity Trustees, added:

 “I am incredibly proud of the success Clarity Trustees has achieved and I am delighted my clients will benefit from the greater resource and the diverse range of skills within the Independent Governance Group. My varied career background means I understand the challenges facing those involved in managing pension schemes from all angles, and I am confident that my personalised, client-centric approach will be retained and strengthened within the IGG team.

“It was essential for me to find the right business partner for Clarity Trustees – namely, one that mirrors my beliefs about what schemes and sponsors can, and should, expect from a professional trustee. IGG shares the same values and ethos that I feel are essential: prioritising people, the depth of knowledge and expertise available and a real team approach to finding client solutions.”

 Martin Smith, Non Executive Chairman of Independent Governance Group, commented further:

“Clarity Trustees is the third acquisition we have made since being backed by LDC and further demonstrates the growth ambitions we have for IGG. With a Birmingham base, the acquisition of Clarity Trustees also represents another step towards building an enhanced regional presence for IGG.”

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