Hymans Robertson is the first pensions and benefits consultancy to achieve accreditations from two major industry bodies.

It has received accreditations from both the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) flagship Quality Assurance Scheme (QAS) and a Gold Standard in Administration from the Pensions Administrations Standards Association (PASA).

Martin Potter, partner at Hymans Robertson, said the company was delighted to be the first firm to achieve recognition for excellence in the standard of both actuarial advice and third party administration services.

He said: "The QAS recognises that the quality of actuarial services is contingent not just on the professional integrity of individual actuaries, but also the quality, culture and environment of the firm they represent.

"Both the QAS and PASA Gold Standard will give our clients independent assurance that our services are of the highest quality."

PASA is the independent body dedicated to driving up standards in pensions administration and its accreditation sets it apart from other kitemarks in the industry by being the only one that is member focused and the only one to measure the member experience.

The QAS is a voluntary accreditation scheme for organisations that employ actuaries and demonstrate a commitment to quality assurance in actuarial work and this new accreditation is the result of rigorous independent assessment of working environment, culture and procedures.

Spence & Partners, the UK actuaries and consultants, also achieves the QAS accreditation from the IFoA.

Scott Cameron, actuarial function head at Spence & Partners, said: "Quality assurance is a central part of our ethos and the principles of QAS fit very well with our overall strategy - we wanted to be at the forefront of this new initiative and it is an honour to be amongst the first tranche of organisations to receive this independent recognition."

First published 14.04.2016

Lindsay.sharman@wilmingtonplc.com