Fintech Smart Pension appoints 26-year-old digital strategist Anna Darnley as trustee

Workplace pension fintech Smart Pension has appointed a 26-year-old digital strategist with a special interest in artificial intelligence and blockchain to its trustee board.

Anna Darnley, who already has two years of trusteeship under her belt with the £1.3bn Accenture Retirement Savings Plan, takes the independent Smart Trustee Board of five to 60 per cent female. It means that the Smart trustee Board is representative of all generations saving into the pension scheme.

Anna said: “Given the opportunity to utilise my digital expertise, joining the trustee board of a fintech like Smart was a no brainer for me. As a digital pension pioneer, Smart stands out as a provider that understands the technology landscape and the need to build genuinely innovative digital tools in order to engage and support the next generation of savers.

“I want to make sure that as Smart continues to innovate and grow, we’re keeping the member at the heart of that innovation. Engagement is more important than ever and, given Smart’s relatively young membership profile, we must ensure we’re equipping our members with the knowledge and tools to make informed decisions about their financial future.”

Andy Cheseldine, Smart Pension’s independent chair of trustees, said: “Anna is a very engaged and digital-savvy addition to our independent board and brings with her an understanding of the millennial and Gen Z mindset.

“Smart is highly unusual in that just under 60 per cent of our members are aged under 40, with more than 30 per cent aged between 22 and 30, so Anna’s perspective is vital to represent the bulk of our savers, and we’re delighted to have her on board.”

As a digital consultant, Anna works internationally on innovative and start-up projects, using her IoT and broader digital expertise to advise clients across strategy and consulting needs. She also speaks six languages including Mandarin, and is learning another two. She brings this global technological expertise to the board, along with her passion for ESG investment, great member communications and strong pension scheme governance.

As a digital consultant, Anna specialises in the Internet of Things, and has worked on artificial intelligence and blockchain projects. She also speaks six languages including Mandarin. She brings this global technological expertise to the board, along with her passion for great member communications and strong pension scheme governance.

And she’s not in bad company in joining Smart. Earlier this year, Smart’s Head of Proposition Development Michael Watkins was named Rising Star of the Year in a set of awards to recognise young talent in the pensions industry. Tim Phillips, Smart’s Director of Global Clients was also elected the youngest ever Vice President of the Pensions Management Institute (PMI) in July. The pair are both co-founders of the NextGen campaign.