Redington, an independent investment consultant, has added to its board with the appointment of Kathryn Purves as non-executive chair.
Purves took up the position on 1 June, bringing experience from across the financial services sector, having held non-executive and executive director positions at both private and public companies.
Purves currently holds a non-executive role at James Hay Partnership and Saunderson House, for whom she was also appointed as chair of the board in January this year. She has also been a non-executive director and chair of the risk committee at Intermediate Capital Group since October 2014.
Most recently Purves served as chief executive officer of IFG Group, managing the successful sale of the business in 2019. Previously, Purves held a number of senior roles at other firms, including that of chief risk officer and commercial director at Partnership Assurance between 2008 and 2015. Purves has worked in a variety of sectors in the industry, including banking, private equity, investing, life assurance and financial planning. She has invaluable experience managing stakeholders including institutional shareholders and private equity investors.
The appointment will see Purves lead the nine-strong board, working alongside Redington CEO Mitesh Sheth and fellow new directors Zoe Taylor, Lee Georgs, Sandy Muirhead and James Squires. Taylor and Georgs joined the board as executive directors in February 2020 and are currently COOs of Redington’s Client and Corporate functions respectively. Muirhead and Squires joined earlier this year as non-executives following the successful completion of Redington’s private equity backing from Phoenix Equity Partners.
Commenting on the news, Sheth says: “Kathryn’s reputation as a decisive and independent thinker, commitment to ensuring the best outcomes for end beneficiaries, alongside her impressive experience in both non-executive and executive roles, made her the perfect candidate for Redington chair.
“Whilst our immediate focus at this challenging time is on the health and wellbeing of our people and giving clients the service and reassurance they need, we are fortunate to have a long-term strategic investor in Phoenix and a robust business structure that enables us to still continue pursuing our longer-term ambitions, governance and growth strategy.
“Having people like Kathryn in place will be invaluable as we continue to invest in our people and technology, enter new markets, and deliver on our goal to help make 100 million people financially secure.”
Purves comments: “I am delighted to be joining the Redington board at this exciting time in Redington’s journey following the investment from Phoenix Equity Partners.
“Since its foundation in 2006, Redington has been a purpose-driven company, aiming to improve the quality of outcomes for pension schemes, and in doing so helping millions of people become financially secure. Redington’s absolute focus on clients’ goals and end outcomes remains a core driver of the business and I am looking forward to working with the board and the team at Redington to support them in continuing to deliver their outstanding service to clients.”
