Claire Misata joins as Business Development Director

Smart Pension, one of the UK’s leading workplace pension providers, has appointed Claire Misata as Business Development Director. Claire will lead relationship development for Smart Pension with trustees and Employee Benefit Consultants (EBCs). Her appointment follows Smart Pension’s recent announcement that it had passed £5bn in Assets Under Management (AUM). 

As part of her role, Claire will be working directly with trustees and strengthening Smart Pension’s relationships within the wider pension market. There is an increasing demand for defined contribution (DC) solutions within pension scheme decision-making as they evolve and de-risk. Claire will be integral to bringing Smart Pension's technology and investment solutions to emerging opportunities within the wider pension market. Industry experts predict phenomenal growth in DC master trust assets by 2030 and Smart Pension’s strong position in the UK market means it is perfectly placed to benefit from this demand. 

Claire has over 25 years’ experience in the financial services industry. She joins Smart Pension from Northern Trust, where she was a Client Executive and managed a book of DB and DC pension scheme clients. Prior to this, Claire held strategic relationship management roles at BNP Paribas, J.P. Morgan and Citi. 

Claire Misata, newly appointed Business Development Director at Smart Pension, said:

“I’m really excited to be joining the team at Smart Pension and driving relationship development across the trustee and EBC communities. This move feels like a natural evolution of my career in the custody and asset servicing sector and a great opportunity to leverage my extensive experience and skills in financial services. I was drawn overwhelmingly to Smart Pension as it’s a really exciting time for the DC pension market, with lots of change on the horizon, and a fantastic opportunity to help with peoples’ financial wellbeing.

“I've been really impressed with the Smart Pension team and their talent, genuine enthusiasm for the proposition and desire to make a difference. It’s great to see this translate to phenomenal customer service and support for our members.”

Stuart Reid, Director of Workplace Pensions at Smart Pension, said: 

“I’m proud of the significant growth we have achieved at Smart Pension, hitting over £5bn in Assets Under Management. With further growth and opportunities ahead of us, we are delighted to welcome Claire to Smart Pension. Her wealth of experience working directly with trustees and the DB and DC markets will be particularly valuable to us. Claire’s appointment reinforces our commitment to this area of our business, and we will continue to expand the team with similar refreshing hires.”