Former pensions minister Steve Webb was awarded an honorary lifetime fellowship at this year's Pensions Management Institute (PMI) awards.

The winners were announced at this year's event at the Dorchester Hotel in London.

Maggy Eriksson of Aon Hewitt and Tim Jones, CBE and former CEO of NEST, were the award winners and a special lifetime service award was given to Vince Linnane, PMI chief executive.

The PMI hosts its awards annually to recognise work of key individuals from the pensions industry.

PMI president Kevin LeGrand said: "There has never been a more important and transformational time for the world of pensions, and both Maggy and Tim, in very different but vital ways, have been instrumental in making helping our industry make a success of these developments."

Steve Webb, he said, has made a "significant difference" to the world of pensions in his time as pensions minister and the honorary fellowship is a recognition of that achievement.

It is the first time in more than 20 years that the PMI has awarded an honorary lifetime fellowship, which is in recognition of the fact he actively sought to raise governance standards, income levels and better member outcomes throughout his time working in pensions, both as a Liberal Democrat pensions spokesman and as pensions minister.

Maggy Eriksson was awarded the 'Contribution to the PMI' award for her commitment to chairing the Board of Examiners for over seven years, and Tim Jones, won the 'Contribution to the Pensions Industry' Award for his hard work and determination which helped make the concept of automatic enrolment deliverable.

A special Lifetime Services to the PMI Award was given to Vince Linnane for his 32 years of service, most recently ten years as CEO.

Vince is leaving the PMI at the end of May this year and the advisory council felt it was fitting to mark officially his three decades' of dedicated service with this award.

Kevin LeGrand said: "We also wanted to take this opportunity to mark the dedication and commitment over the past 32 years of the PMI's Chief Executive, Vince Linnane, with a special Lifetime Services to the PMI Award."

First published 19.02.2016

Lindsay.sharman@wilmingtonplc.com