The National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) and the Pensions Management Institute (PMI) have announced that the two organisations will not be merging

The decision came primarily from the PMI, where it was felt that remaining an independent organisation was more beneficial to its members.

PMI president Paul Couchman said although the merger was not going ahead, discussions with NAPF had been "extremely positive".
"We have explored many of the complementary areas of expertise that both organisations offer and have looked at the significant value a merged organisation could offer to members," he said.

"However, after careful review by the PMI board and its council, we have decided that we are best placed to pursue its strategic objectives as an independent organisation."

He added that the organisation remains committed to raising standards and would be announcing some "exciting new initiatives" in the near future.

The collaborative process between the two organisations began in October last year and the NAPF has expressed its disappointment with the conclusion.

"It is with disappointment that we make today's announcement but we must respect the PMI's decision not to pursue this opportunity," said Ruston Smith, Chairman of the NAPF.

"We will continue to fulfil the needs of our members by providing the high quality services they require and helping them to provide pensions for more than 17 million people."

Meanwhile, the NAPF has launched a new dedicated pensions recruitment website – PensionsJobs.com – matching the best candidates with the right employers in the sector.

PensionsJobs.com already carries the second highest number of jobs per month amongst its peers, and is the only pensions recruitment website to carry direct client-branded jobs – offering greater transparency to the candidate and improved brand-awareness for the recruiter.

The NAPF is offering its 1,300 pension scheme members and 400 business members a 25% discount on all advertising options.
Julian Mund, Commercial Services Director, NAPF, said the website is designed to make recruitment easier at a time when the industry is undergoing significant change.

"PensionsJobs.com is designed to take the hard work out of recruiting the right talent in the complex field of pensions, offering employers access to qualified candidates, actively seeking jobs, across a variety of platforms including mobiles, tablets and PCs," she said.

"Over the last few years the pensions sector has dealt with an overwhelming volume of change – from the introduction of automatic enrolment to the new pensions freedoms being implemented in April.

"To manage this volume of change pensions organisations increasingly need more staff, from a broader range of disciplines with a diverse range of skills, to ensure their clients continue to receive the best level of service.

The website will be officially launched on Monday 23 February.

First published 05.02.2015

Lindsay.sharman@hotmail.co.uk