Meeting held at 1:00pm via video conference.
Present:
Sue Douthwaite, Chair
Michael Brodie, Chief Executive
Mathew McKie, Non-Executive Director
Randeep Sidhu, Non-Executive Director
Mel Tomlin, Non-Executive Director
Brendan Brown, Chief Operating Officer
Mark Dibble, Chief People Officer
Andy McKinlay, Chief Finance Officer
Allison Newell, Chief Strategy Officer
In attendance:
Chris Knight, Associate Non-Executive Director
Nigel Zaman, Senior Programme Manager, DHSC
Paul Cooper, NHS Pensions Director, NHSBSA (item 26/04 only)
Claire Forrester, Interim Head of Pensions Stakeholder Engagement and Communications, NHSBSA (item 26/04 only)
Martin Kelsall, Managing Director of Operations, NHSBSA (item 26/04 only)
Jonathan Marron, Chief Transition Officer, NHSBSA (items 26/02 to 26/10 only)
Libby Pink, Chief Portfolio Officer, NHSBSA (items 26/02 to 26/10 only)
Vince Strafford, Project Director, NHSBSA (item 26/04 only)
Kevin Watkins, Head of Internal Audit, GIAA (items 26/02 to 26/10 only)
26/01 Associate Non-Executive Director nomination
M Tomlin provided an overview of the paper sent to the Board members during December 2025 - recommending to the Board the appointment of an Associate Non-Executive Director (Karen Finlayson), with the aim of providing increased audit, management controls, accountancy and enterprise risk management skills, knowledge and experience to the Board for a 12-month period commencing on 15 January 2026.
The Board members had APPROVED the creation of an Associate Non-Executive Director position and APPROVED THE APPOINTMENT of Karen Finlayson as Associate Non-Executive Director from 15 January 2026 for a period of 12 months. The Board RATIFIED the APPROVAL.
M Tomlin stated that since the approval had been received, the NHSBSA HR Team had confirmed that all required pre-employment checks had been completed and approved.
(J Marron, L Pink and K Watkins joined the meeting)
26/02 Apologies for absence and declarations of interest
Apologies were received from Darren Curry, Kathy Gillatt and David Leather. There were no declarations of interest declared in relation to the Board meeting agenda. The Board NOTED apologies received.
26/03 Chair's opening remarks
S Douthwaite thanked members for attending the extraordinary meeting at short notice. The meeting would focus on the three key topics highlighted on the agenda:
NHS Pensions Service – Key Priority Update
Workforce Reduction Plan Update
NHSBSA Arm’s Length Body Assurance Review Update
The Board AGREED that the Minutes, and the Matters Arising & Outstanding Actions would be reviewed and agreed at the next full Board meeting on 5 February 2026, and any comments should be sent to D Jukes for review.
S Douthwaite welcomed K Watkins to the Board meeting, who was attending in his capacity as NHSBSA Head of Internal Audit to ensure he was fully aware of the current key areas of focus.
S Douthwaite reflected on the continuing demands on colleagues and the need for maintaining pace of delivery and agility. S Douthwaite recognised the ongoing efforts and dedication of the team and colleagues across the business.
The Board NOTED the update.
(P Cooper, C Forrester, M Kelsall and V Strafford joined the meeting)
26/04 NHS Pensions service - key priorities update
B Brown and the team provided an overview of the report, covering key priorities and challenges within the NHS Pensions Service.
The Board NOTED the update
(P Cooper, C Forrester, M Kelsall and V Strafford left the meeting)
26/05 Workforce reduction plan update
J Marron provided an overview of the Workforce Reduction Plan Update paper. The Board SUPPORTED the direction of travel.
(R Sidhu left the meeting)
26/06 NHSBSA Arm's Length Body Assurance Review update
M Brodie provided an overview of the NHSBSA Arm’s Length Body Assurance Review Update paper.
The Board NOTED the report.
26/07 Any other business
There were no items of any other business.
26/08 Communications from the meeting
There were no items for communication.
26/09 Forward agenda and training plan
The Board NOTED the Forward Agenda and Training Plan.
26/10 Date and venue of the next meeting
The next Board meeting was planned for 5 February 2026.