What does the Committee do?
The Committee monitors the BTRSS and reports to BT Group so that BT Group can make changes if necessary. Some of the things the Committee considers are:
- whether Standard Life Assurance Limited is operating the BTRSS in line with good market practice
- Standard Life’s rationale for the suitability of the default investment option and their monitoring of funds available to colleagues
- Standard Life’s communication plan and the way information about the BTRSS is communicated to members
- changes in the law that affect pensions and specifically their impact on the BTRSS
- proposed developments of Standard Life’s systems and products such as the Dashboard and App
- suggestions made by members
The Committee does not have the same decision powers as a Trustee board, they will monitor and comment but they cannot impose changes. The Committee can write to the BT Group with a recommendation if they believe BT Group should be taking action on a particular point, though BT Group would not be bound by the request.
What has the Committee discussed recently?
The Committee monitors and discusses a variety of topics on the agenda and meets a number of key stakeholders in Standard Life. The below are some examples of agenda items in the last 12 months [updated November 2025]
- The continued evolution of the Standard Life default fund to the Sustainable Multi Asset fund
- Investments; investment market performance, sustainability and Sharia investment options
- Government decisions and legislation changes. For example Standard Life signing up to the Mansion House agreements to invest in the UK (investing in private markets)
- Monitoring for trends of the BTRSS membership, considering the potential impacts of the prolonged increases to cost of living
- Continued evolution of the App, online services, products and support Standard Life can offer our membership including guidance and advice
- Communications; how Standard Life engage with members to make informed decisions
- Discussing the BT dedicated administration team at Standard Life and the services it provides the BTRSS membership versus the Service Level Agreement
- Meeting the IGC (Independent Governance Committee) Chair to discuss and share views and observations of Standard Life’s performance
- Meeting the CEO of Phoenix Group (which owns Standard Life) to discuss their short and medium term plans
Who is on the Committee?
There are five members of the Committee. Two members are appointed by BT Group and two are selected by the unions. BT Group also appoints an independent chairperson, in agreement with the unions.
- Elizabeth Hartree - Independent Chair (Law Debenture)
- Marc Bergen - appointed by BT Group
- Adam Hopwood - appointed by BT Group
- Christine Danniell - selected by trade union (Prospect)
- Andy Mercer- selected by trade union (CWU)
The members of the Committee normally serve a three-year term. After that they are required to re-apply for membership.
View the committee members' biographies
How often does the Committee meet?
The Committee has a regular meeting once a quarter. Meetings are also held, if required, to discuss any issues that arise in between their quarterly meetings.
The Committee regularly gets advance notice of changes that either BT Group and/or Standard Life is proposing. For this reason, consistent with other pension scheme governance committees and trustee boards, details of the discussions and minutes are not made public.