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Who we are

Our people

Our People

66,000+

members

Our members are either serving or former members of the Armed Forces

Their partners and siblings of ex-service personnel who have joined the Society support our campaigning causes or enjoy the numerous membership benefits we offer.

Our Chief Executive is a Director of the Forces Pension Society and of the FPS Investment Company (Investco), an employees’ representative on the Ministry of Defence’s Armed Forces Pension Scheme Board and a member of the executive committee of the Public Services Pensioners’ Council, the overarching organisation representing retired public servants.

Our staff

 Click on icons below for individual contact details

Major General Neil Marshall OBE

Chief Executive

Matthew Lowe MBE

Chief Operating Officer

Jo Fitton-Bates

Head of Digital & Brand

Rob Morris

Roadshow Manager

David Roberts

Head of Pensions

Wendy Bandeira

Deputy Head of Pensions

Alisa Lakeman-Ford

Forces Pensions Consultant

Nick Moody

Forces Pensions Consultant

Colin Thomas

Forces Pensions Consultant

Andy Keen

Forces Pensions Consultant

Ali Waddie

Forces Pensions Consultant

Richard Sanders

Forces Pensions Consultant

Georgie Wallington

Forces Pensions Consultant

Nick Beck

Forces Pensions Consultant

Charlotte Cooper

Head of Membership

Paddy Butler

Deputy Head of Membership

Harsha Vadgama

Membership Adviser

Ceri Ball

Membership Adviser

Our Board of Directors

Sir Gerry Berragan KBE CB

Chairman

Carolyn Caddick

Non-Executive Director

Jane Chalmers

Non-Executive Director

Phil Cope

Non-Executive Director

Guy Denison-Smith

Non-Executive Director

Nick Fletcher

Non-Executive Director

Louise Inward

Non-Executive Director

André Kerr

Non-Executive Director

Maria Lyle

Non-Executive Director

Don MacIntyre

Non-Executive Director

Neil Marshall OBE

Executive Director

Paul Stearns

Non-Executive Director

Lorna Swinyard-Jordan

Non-Executive Director

Steven Willis

Non-Executive Director

As a not-for-profit limited company funded by its members, the Forces Pension Society is governed in a manner that reflects best practice in the sector.

This consists of a president and number of vice presidents who are individuals of stature and influence invited to hold office.

The elected volunteer Board of Directors is drawn mainly, but not exclusively, from retired ranks of all three services. Our Directors are chosen for their individual skills and experience that relate to the Society’s purpose and objectives. The maximum number of directors is fifteen. The Board is always on the lookout for appropriately skilled Non-Executive Directors.

Ultimately the membership decides upon the election, re-election and retirement of all directors through an annual general meeting normally held in June or July.

Our Board meets three times a year and is supported by two sub committees that meet between each Board meeting: a Strategy and Finance (S&F) Committee and an Audit and Risk (A&R) Committee.  Our Pay and Remuneration (P&R) Committee meets twice a year.  Each sub-committee consists of a chair plus 3, less for P&R which consists of the FPS Chairman, Chairman S&F Committee plus one other Director.

The S&F and A&R committees meet quarterly between Board meetings; the P&R Committee meets annually.

The FPS Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer (who acts as the secretariat) attend all Governance Committees.

The Board of The Forces Pension Society is always on the lookout for knowledgeable, capable, committed, and experienced Non-Executive Directors, who can contribute to the governance and future development of the Society.

The volunteer Board and its Committees exist to provide oversight, support and challenge to the full time Executive Team, who run the day-to-day business. Non-Executive Directors are in an ‘eyes on, hand off’ role and their focus is on strategy and compliance, rather than operational detail.

If you think you might be a suitable candidate, please read the role description here, which gives a fuller idea of the eligibility, skills and commitment required, and scan the biographies of our current Board Members above.

If having read the role description you are interested in being considered as a candidate, please contact the Chief Operating Officer at matthewl@forpen.co.uk for an initial conversation.

What we are

A not-for-profit military
pension watchdog

The Forces Pension Society is an independent, not-for-profit organisation
that acts as a pension watchdog for the entire military community.

What we do

Pension enquiry service

Our pension enquiry service empowers members to make better informed decisions.

Campaigning

Campaigning is at the very heart of the Society’s ethos, history and reputation.

Education

Our group briefings help serving members of the Armed Forces better understand their pension.

Communications

We keep our community informed with a constant flow of topical Armed Forces Pension related news and content.

What our members say

“My sincere thanks”

“Having just joined the Trinity Travel Cover, I had to call upon them when a serious leg injury forced me to cancel much-anticipated Christmas cruise. I’d never made a travel insurance claim before, but they made it quite straightforward and were happy to discuss things over the phone in a friendly way. Some weeks after having made the claim, I was delighted to receive a full refund on my trip, minus only my excess. Would you be kind enough to pass on my thanks to all parties involved. Needless to say, I remain a customer, and am very grateful to you at FPS for providing such a good travel insurance deal in the first place. “

Virgina – August 2023 – Member

“I do enjoy the newsletters and the bi-annual magazines, the amount of work that goes into producing them is very evident.”

FPS Member – August 2021

“I’ve been inundated with nothing but positive feed back “

“Many thanks for your outstanding brief, I’ve been inundated with nothing but positive feed back with people learning a lot and actioning things off the back of it. “

RSM at the Defence SERE – Roadshow

“I was presented with a thorough and comprehensive breakdown of my entitlement”

“I can’t stress how grateful I am for getting definitive and detailed answers to my pension queries. It has been a minefield in the years leading up to my discharge trying to decipher the various booklets, and which information in them relates to my situation. I also enjoy the fact that you get to speak to someone who has “been there and done that”, or has at least dealt with a similar situation in the past. I was presented with a thorough and comprehensive breakdown of my entitlement. Thank you Forces Pension Society.”

Member

“Very many thanks for providing such a service.”

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the wealth of information that you have just provided through your webinar this afternoon. It was very much welcomed. I look forward to joining the Forces Pension Society in the very near future and have no doubt, after serving 33 year’s service thus far, that this will prove invaluable as I enter my final two years of service. Very many thanks for providing such a service.

Roadshow

“Many thanks for allowing me to connect “

“Many thanks for allowing me to connect to the last Webinar. I found this a fascinating update on all the complex issues pertaining to service pensions and left me much better informed to engage with Veterans UK once my AFPS 12 returns.”

Member

“Joining is by far one of the best moves I have made”

“I would like to pass on my sincere thanks to the FPS, but primarily to Alisa Lakeman-Ford. throughout the last year, she has been absolutely superb in providing me the most excellent feedback on my pension enquiries. I have to say, joining the FPS, and seeing such in-depth, detailed, pension forecasts produced by Alisa, is by far one of the best moves I have made in my 32 year career. The patience, professionalism, knowledge and willingness to help was nothing short of outstanding. Thank you all, and sincere thanks to Alisa. “

Member

“We would be stuck without you!”

“I would like to offer my sincere thanks to teh team for all the help and assistance you have given me over the past few years. My circumstances were “not typical”, but you will be pleased to learn that all my fears were unfounded and everything has materialised as it should have. I am now in receipt of my lump sum and regular pension, including the extra I had put in from my years with another employer. Thank you to FPS as a whole for all the help and guidance you give to members of the Armed Forces. We would be stuck without you!

Member

“Mind blowing!”

“I became a member 9 months after my father’s death as I have been handling the widow’s pension on behalf of my mother. The journey was an absolute nightmare. 13 months on and we are still not out of the woods, however, your team, especially Colin Thomas have been pivotal in progressing our case. I cannot think of another organisation that charges a nominal yearly fee for the time, compassion, empathy and sheer determination in making things happen fairly, honestly and justly as The Forces Pension Society. The service and commitment given is mind blowing.

Member

“Wow!”

“Wow – thank you very much for the detailed e-mail. Having burnt my maths text books at the tender age of 16 this is exactly what I needed to make sense of what is a complicated system. Quite how anyone is supposed to be able to decipher that without your help is beyond me! I really appreciate the work you have put in and will recommend you to all my colleagues – a fantastic service.

Member

“Extremely beneficial webinar”

“On behalf of DHU, thank you very much for your extremely comprehensive Webinar this was extremely beneficial”

Defence HUMINT Unit

“Unclaimed pension”

“I have received overall £12743. Could not have done it without the support of the Society so I would like to thank you for pointing me in the right direction and particularly the help you gave me with the paperwork and answers to my questions. Really appreciate what you have done for me.”

Member

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