Our Team
David Vallery, Chief Executive Officer
"With over 79,000 members and £8bn of assets, LPF is a major part of the LGPS in Scotland which is of critical importance to the financial well-being to around one in five people in Scotland.
Our members and employers are at the heart of everything we do, and we’ll continually strive to deliver a high-quality pension and investment service to safeguard their retirement. It’s my privilege to lead the talented team of colleagues at LPF, including the investment managers and pension administrators who manage these services, supported by professionals in Finance, Risk, People, Communications and IT."
The senior leadership team structure includes:
Investment Team
Emmanuel Bocquet, Chief Investment Officer
"The team administers and manages the assets of the Lothian Pension Fund, so we can of pay members’ pensions during their retiral years. We do this by investing the regular pension contributions of employers and members in a diversified portfolio of assets, including equities, bonds, property and infrastructure.
Most Local Government Pension Scheme funds outsource management of their assets externally. Lothian Pension Fund is unique in Scotland with its own FCA-regulated investment team, so we’re able to manage most asset classes. This results in better alignment of interests and a truly long-term investment focus."
Risk & Compliance
Kerry Thirkell, Chief Risk Officer
"The legal, risk and compliance team manages the core functions of our regulated investment and pensions business, as well as all governance and company secretarial matters. This involves providing strategic advice on the development of our business to the board, and supporting our market leading investment, pension administration and employer teams on the work they do to ensure a best value pensions product."
People and Communications
Helen Honeyman, Chief People Officer
"The People and Communications team is here to ensure our people feel positive about working for LPF and enable them to serve our employers and members effectively and efficiently. The team also has responsibility for our brand, people practices, strategic communications, and colleague, member and employer engagement."
Pension Operations and IT Oversight and Governance
Karlynn Sokoluk, Chief Operations Officer
"We provide support and guidance on all aspects of pensions administration to our members and employers in line with the Local Government Pension Scheme. Our teams are highly trained and professionally qualified, delivering excellent customer service in moments that really matter. We provide pension information through a variety of channels and we are proud to be accredited by the Pension Administration Standards Association (PASA). We are passionate about continually enhancing our customer’s experience which includes development of self service options through our digital platform and helping to simplify the complex subject of pensions for our customers. We invest in productive partnerships with our employers and we work collaboratively with them to meet their individual needs.
"To operate our pension fund efficiently and with control, we need a combination of people, processes, and systems. Our technology oversight and governance functions exist to protect our operations against the risk of disruption from technology failure and to ensure our company and member data always remains secure."
Finance Team
Alan Sievewright, Chief Financial Officer
"The finance team supports the key activities of the fund by ensuring pensions are paid, accurate books and records are maintained for LPF and by reporting to the various governance committees and regulators. We work closely with the other LPF teams to develop and monitor financial planning against strategic priorities and provide advice and challenge across the across the organisation as part of business planning."