London CIV creates new role to beef up London LGPS

London CIV, the investment pool that manages local government pension scheme (LGPS) assets for all London boroughs and the City of London, has recruited Andrien Meyers to the newly created role of chief proposition officer.  

Meyers was an advocate for the formation of London CIV and is head of pension investments at the London Borough of Sutton and the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.

Meyers’ role forms part of London CIV’s next strategy phase to launch products and services beyond pooling that will strengthen the London LGPS community to work together and deliver a sustainable LGPS. 

This comes at a time when the leading political parties appear to be in broad agreement that further LGPS integration across England and Wales is required, which could well have implications after the general election on July 4.

Next year marks London CIV’s 10^th birthday and in that time it has pooled more than £30bn in assets and created around £70m worth of savings. 

However, while investment pooling across England and Wales has proved successful, there is growing stakeholder consensus that it only forms a single component to a wider strategy required to make LGPS work more efficiently – Meyers’ role will help fill that void.

Meyers has been involved in public life for more than two decades. He has held senior positions at a diverse range of London councils, while also having senior advisory and non-executive director roles in the investment industry.

Meyers has also served as a senior policy adviser to the minister of local government via the LGPS Scheme Advisory Board.

In his current role at Sutton and Kingston, Meyers has integrated the pensions investment-accounting-governance service of the two funds, while setting up and implementing several strategies – particularly within investment and governance.

Dean Bowden, London CIV’s chief executive, said: “As we look to provide our partner funds with more choice in how best they can generate further efficiencies, cost savings and value beyond investment pooling, I know Andrien is perfectly situated to help us deliver on this next phase for London’s LGPS community.”