Smart Pension joins Diversity Project

Smart Pension, one of the UK’s leading workplace pension providers, has joined the Diversity Project, a cross-company initiative which champions shared learning and promotion of best practice in order to achieve a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive UK investment and savings industry.

In signing up to the initiative, Smart Pension joins other notable industry members such as Fidelity International, Franklin Templeton, AXA Investment Managers, Legal & General Investment Management, Mercer, Natixis Investment Managers and Octopus Investments.

With its membership, Smart Pension commits to striving for progress in diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) and to take action to drive wider change in the industry. The Diversity Project’s aims include reductions in gender pay gap levels, a 90% ethnicity disclosure rate amongst participating businesses, and support of graduate and school leaver recruitment programmes focused on socioeconomic diversity.

The membership signifies a commitment to supporting and promoting diversity, equity and inclusion at Smart Pension, through peer discussions, shared learning and events, all working towards a more inclusive culture within the investments and savings industry. This covers many areas including socio-economic background, disability, age, gender, sexuality, neurodiversity, mental health, race and ethnicity.

Paul Bucksey, Chief Investment Officer at Smart Pension said:

“Our participation in the Diversity Project formalises our dedication to DE&I at Smart Pension and our commitment to improving inclusivity within the investment and savings industry. From our trustee board through to our asset managers and members’ investments, it’s important to us that our investments cater for the diverse community we serve."

“A good example of this is the recent launch of our partnership with Wahed on the Halal Workplace Pension, an investment product addressing the unmet demand for modern Shariah-compliant workplace pensions for Britain’s Muslim pension savers, the first of its kind from a major DC master trust."

“We look forward to collaborating with partners and peers on upcoming initiatives across the Diversity Project’s programme of events, to promote acceleration towards a more diverse and inclusive industry.”

Baroness Helena Morrissey, Chair at Diversity Project said:

"We’re delighted to welcome Smart Pension to the Diversity Project. Now in our eighth year, the Diversity Project is working to attract the best talent to the investment and savings industry and to help our member firms create vibrant, inclusive cultures where that talent thrives. Our efforts work best when our members engage; we look forward to working with Smart Pension to hear their ideas and experiences, and to invite them to participate in programmes that the Diversity Project has created to accelerate progress."