People moves: South Yorkshire Pensions Authority director to retire

South Yorkshire Pensions Authority (SYPA) – The local authority pension fund has announced that its director, George Graham, will retire at the end of 2025.

Graham has been with the Authority in this role since 2018 and has overseen several important changes in the way in which SYPA approaches its activities including the transition of assets into the Border to Coast Pensions Partership investment pool, the creation of a joint venture with Royal London to manage a substantial portfolio of UK farmland and significant changes to the way in which the Authority interacts with and provides services to scheme members and employers.

He has also served as a practitioner representative on the LGPS Scheme advisory board and on the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association’s (PLSA) local authority committee.

SYPA has agreed to undertake a recruitment process for Graham’s successor over the summer.

LGPS Central – At its general meeting, shareholders unanimously approved the appointment of Anouska Ramsay, chief people and transformation officer, as an executive director of the company’s board of directors.

The appointment reflects the significant impact Ramsay has made since joining the company in March 2024 and underscores the board’s commitment to fostering a strong organisational culture and driving transformational change, LGPS Central said.

In her role, Ramsay is responsible for designing and implementing strategies that enhance LGPS Central’s culture, talent acquisition, workplace and people.

Artemis – Teun Johnston has been appointed as chief executive officer, joining Artemis at the beginning of April. Artemis senior partner Mark Murray will retire at the end of June after nearly a decade leading the firm and 28 years with the business.

Johnston joined Man GLG in 2012 as head of product strategy, became co-CEO in 2013, and sole CEO in 2016. During his tenure, Johnston built a number of new offerings in equities and credit through integrating a series of new teams that managed both traditional and alternative investment strategies. Prior to this, Johnston served as head of investments at Oakley Capital.

Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) – Following an exceptionally strong set of applications, the PLSA has appointed five new members to its policy board with immediate effect. A further five new members have also been selected to join from October 2025.

Joining the policy board with immediate effect are NEST’s Philip Brown, Kent County Council’s Nick Buckland, Legal & General’s Colin Clarke, The People’s Partnership’s Tim Gosling and Joanne Donnelly, who joins the London Pension Fund Authority in April.

Joining from October will be The Church of England’s John Ball, Naomi Clark of the Universities Superannuation Scheme, Mercer’s Tess Page, Suzy Morrissey of the Pensions Policy Institute, and Barnett Waddingham’s Matt Tickle.

Formed in 2018, the PLSA policy board guides and decides on the PLSA’s public policy positions, with a remit stretching across all PLSA’s policy work. Its goal is to shape the policy agenda in pursuit of PLSA’s mission to help everyone enjoy a better retirement.

It is chaired by John Chilman and encompasses participants from across the PLSA’s membership, including pension funds from the DB, DC, LGPS, and master trust sectors, as well as business members such as consultancies and law firms.

Brightwell – The service provider for defined benefit schemes has appointed Paula Walter as a non-executive director.

Walter brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the Brightwell board, having held numerous leadership roles in both executive and non-executive capacities.

She has spent over two decades working in technology, digital, data and information security within the financial services industry. Her leadership roles include chief technology officer at Newton Investment Management, chief operating officer at Ruffer, chief technology and information officer at Aldermore Group, and vice president at Goldman Sachs International.

Walter is a member of the Royal College of Music’s Council and Audit & Risk Assurance Committee. She also serves as a trustee for the University of Cape Town Trust and is a director and deputy chair of the German School London, where she established and chairs the IT committee, focusing on digital strategy development and IT policy.

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