We are pleased to announce that Phil Harris-Bridge and Peter Dowsett will be re-appointed as Member Nominated Trustee Directors (MNTD) of the RS Group Pension Scheme (the Scheme).

Phil Harris-Bridge and Peter Dowsett will be representing you as members and will work alongside the company appointed trustee directors to ensure that the Scheme is run well. They will be provided with regular training to assist them with their role, along with their fellow Trustees.

We wish them well in their roles.

Get to know your MNTDs!

Phil Harris-Bridge

For 16 years I was a Senior Executive/Leader in Customer Service/Sales/Systems with the UK and European RS businesses, I was Company Nominated Pensions Director from 2009 to 2012 and elected MNTD in 2015. This extended experience of the Pensions Board, Company, Pensions Team and Advisers, equipped me with the knowledge to ensure your interests are always uppermost in Pensions Board discussions/decisions. Four years of unprecedented economic challenges impacting UK pension values, have been countered by the Pensions Board with change, development, creativity and improvement, to protect and secure your long-term pensions.

An ECL pensioner myself, I experience directly what you as members experience from the scheme, providing insight into what needs to be better and a passion to improve/develop the service.

As an active member of the Communications and Member Experience Committee, focus is on the member experience to:

• improve the brevity/quality of pensions communications,
• introduce new/innovative online help for active and deferred members to manage their pension and plan retirement
• relentlessly drive for improved accuracy, efficiency and responsiveness from our pensions administrator.

Pensions can be a challenging topic, but this is an important financial benefit for existing and previous EC employees. Protecting your interests has been my focus for the last four years and I would like to continue this work for the next four, through a time of continuous change, new freedoms and further regulatory protection for UK pensions.

Peter Dowsett

My wife, Jacquie and I are now both retired, we were multi-stint employees of RS Components with over 30 years’ service each. We have both DB and DC pensions with the Electrocomponents scheme.

I was appointed a Member Nominated Trustee Director (MNTD) for the RS Group Pension Scheme in Summer 2016 and l'm happy to continue in role. During this time, I have completed the Pension and Lifetime Savings Academy trustee training and passed the Pensions Regulator Trustee toolkit with Distinction. I reliably attend Trustee Board meetings and the lnvestment and Risk Sub-committee meetings. More recently, I started attending Communications and Member Experience Sub-Committee Meetings and am a member of the Joint Working Committee with the company. I am a strong contributor to these meetings and promptly deal with intervening casework.

Trustees are responsible for ensuring that the pension scheme is run properly, and that members' benefits are secure. My enthusiasm, skills and experience ensure that I continue to be right for the job.

My interests include gardening, cycling, DIY and I have an active interest in finance spanning over four decades.