PIRC : independent research and advisory consultancy

PIRC is the UKs' leading independent research and advisory consultancy providing services to institutional investors on corporate governance and corporate social responsibility. Since 1986, it has been the pioneer and champion of good corporate governance within the UK.
Authoritative resource
PIRC has a wide spectrum of clients ranging from pension funds, faith-based investors, trade unions to banks and asset managers. Its Corporate Governance Service is an authoritative and vital resource for active investors, whilst its widely-read Shareholder Voting Guidelines provide a market-wide benchmark for investors and forms part of the movement for corporate governance reform and long-term wealth creation strategies for responsible investors.

For more information about PIRC or to arrange a meeting, contact Janice Hayward, or call us on 0207 247 2323.

Directors’ £200k pensions

Directors of the UK's top companies can retire on pensions of over £200,000 a year, according to the TUC’s annual PensionsWatch survey. The survey analyses the pension arrangements of 346 directors from 102 of the UK's top companies and shows that directors of the UK’s biggest companies have amassed pension pots that average around £3 million each, providing an annual pension of £201,700 a year - 25 times the average workplace pension that ordinary workers receive (£8,100). Directors with the greatest entitlements at each company have average pension pots of £5.2million and can expect a pension of £333,400 a year.

The report also suggests that directors continue to benefit from generous and less risky defined benefit (DB) schemes, with three quarters of the directors surveyed (76 %) accruing benefits in this type of scheme.

The survey found that directors in defined contribution (DC) schemes received an average employer contribution of £91,700. The average employer contribution rate was around 21% cent, three times the average rate for ordinary workers in this type of scheme (around 6.5%). The top directors with the highest pension payments at each company received an average employer contribution of £149,600.

While many employers across the public and private sectors are increasing the length of time people have to work by raising retirement ages to 65, the majority of directors in the TUC study are still able to retire at 60. Of the 40 companies that provided information about the normal retirement age (NRA) for directors, two thirds (26 companies) still had a NRA of 60.

The TUC is calling for greater clarity and reporting of pay, remuneration and pensions, so that investors have the information they need to scrutinise the awards made to directors. The TUC believes that more information would also make it easier for ordinary employees to see the pension arrangements of their top bosses.

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