Smart appoints former UK pensions minister Guy Opperman as senior adviser
London-based fintech Smart Pension has announced the appointment of Guy Opperman, former UK Pensions Minister, as Senior Adviser. Opperman brings extensive experience in pensions reform and financial inclusion, having served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) from 2017 to 2022 and as Minister of State for Employment in 2022-2023.
During his tenure as the UK’s longest-serving Pensions Minister, Opperman spearheaded initiatives such as expanding auto-enrollment, pioneering Collective Defined Contribution (CDC) schemes, and advancing master trusts, reshaping the UK pensions landscape. With deep expertise in addressing the challenges of ageing populations and implementing technical pension solutions, Opperman is well-positioned to guide Smart’s global expansion as it navigates evolving pension reforms.
Opperman’s appointment comes as Smart scales its retirement savings platform, Keystone, which currently manages over £15 billion in assets under management globally. Keystone’s technology supports large-scale workplace retirement savings plans, offering innovative solutions amid rapidly developing global pension legislation.
“I am delighted to be joining Smart. They are genuinely unique in their approach and their offer. They are brilliantly led, and have positive solutions to the retirement savings issues facing governments, employers and individuals worldwide. As pension legislation changes around the world, great technology has the ability and scope to deliver better outcomes for individual savers and societies as a whole. I’m looking forward to helping the team grow Smart’s technology, Keystone, where it currently touches 10 million people around the world.” – Guy Opperman, Senior Adviser to Smart.
“We are thrilled to welcome Guy to Smart where he’ll support us in scaling our retirement saving technology offering internationally. He played a crucial part in the rollout and expansion of auto enrolment in the UK that originally led to the development of our unique technology, and understands the scale of the complexities faced by policy-makers and providers alike, in solving the issue of retirement provision globally. Guy’s in-depth experience and clear passion for financial wellbeing will be invaluable as we continue to deliver for savers around the world.” – Andrew Evans, Co-Founder and Group CEO of Smart.