About us

Professional independent pension scheme trustees

Professional Pension Trustees image
  • We are one of the largest professional pension scheme trustee companies in the UK.

    Many decisions taken by trustee boards are finely balanced. At Dalriada we firmly believe that trustee boards make better, more robust decisions where they have access to a broad-based team with experience of the diverse issues which can impact on the ability of a scheme to deliver the best possible outcomes for its members. Those charged with making sometimes difficult decisions should reflect the diversity of scheme members and of society more generally and value the different perspectives such diversity brings us.

    Dalriada takes a multidisciplinary team based approach to the delivery of trustee services – every pension scheme to which we are appointed has access to the full complement of our pension expertise.

    We have a UK wide network of offices which means we can provide the benefit of local support to every scheme to which we are appointed. Being accessible is very important to us and we encourage face-to-face discussions with clients (trustees, sponsoring employers and members as appropriate).

    Dalriada applies process and technology to deliver more efficient and better services to our members. We work closely with partners committed to the use of Fintech to develop online access for members where possible and this is their preference. We provide timely reporting and best in class risk management all of which contributes to an enhanced member experience and engagement when interacting with their pension scheme.

    Our business objective is to provide interesting and truly worthwhile careers for our people. This ethos has facilitated the recruitment and retention of the strongest professional trustee team in the industry.

    In October 2022, Dalriada's parent company 3173 Limited, announced a partnership with growth investor Synova into its group of companies. Increased regulation in the pensions market is resulting in a wave of consolidation of trusteeship and governance services. Dalriada is at the forefront of this change and we will be using this investment to bring our market leading proposition to the widest possible market.

    Our Values

    WE ARE PIONEERING

    Which means we are ambitious, bold & game changing 

    Dalriada embraces the future. Understanding that we will always be better if we are aiming towards big, ambitious and inspiring goals, we encourage our people to spot those opportunities that help us perpetually find a better way of doing things.

    WE ARE MARKET DISRUPTORS

    Which means we are customer-centric, different & useful

    Dalriada is born from a passion for creating real intellectual and commercial value for our clients. We want to make the trusteeship of pension schemes as easy as possible. This means having the appetite to accelerate the journey from resistance to adoption right out of the blocks and finding a way to deliver real advantage over the competition.

    WE ARE COLLABORATIVE

    Which means we are engaging, empathetic & open

    We believe that successful collaboration and teamwork in the workplace are not only key to our success, but to building an overall meaningful and inspiring work environment. We rely on teamwork for creativity, innovation and alignment that helps us build and foster successful collaborative relationships with all of our clients.

    WE ARE INCLUSIVE

    Which means we are diverse, energetic & progressive

    Enthusiastic and approachable, Dalriada’s brand personality is optimistic and genuine. In all we do we strive to make a positive contribution to the lives of others, members we serve, and our members of staff. We believe diversity of thought is a key component in our purpose to make life significantly better.

    Our Principles 

    Dalriada Trustees are leading the way on responsible investment in the pensions industry! We are the only professional trustee company in the UK to be a signatory to the United Nations (UN) Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). 

    Therefore, our policies and processes are aligned with that of the UN PRI six principles: 

    1. To incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes. 
    2. To be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices. 
    3. To seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest. 
    4. To promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry. 
    5. To work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles. 
    6. To report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles.

    Our Processes

    Dalriada has produced an assurance report on its pension trustee services compliant with the framework provided by the Audit and Assurance faculty of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), which is detailed in the ICAEW Technical Release “Assurance on Reporting on Relevant Trustees (Relevant Trustee Supplement to ICAEW AAF 02/07)”.  Dalriada has also produced an assurance report on its pension administration and pension database services compliant with ICAEW Technical Release AAF 01/06 “Assurance Reports on Internal Controls of Service Organisations made available to Third Parties”.

    The audited reports provide information on the control environment within our business relating to the design, implementation and operation of the accounting and administrative procedures followed.  You can see the latest reports by clicking here; “AAF 02/07” and  “AAF 01/20”.

    Our ISO certificates are available for download - 27001 & 9001

    We are a living wage employer 

    Our Living Wage commitment will see everyone working at Dalriada receive a minimum hourly wage of £9.30 in the UK or £10.75 in London. Both rates are significantly higher than the government minimum for over 25s, which currently stands at £8.72 per hour. 

    Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) 

    It is Dalriada’s strong view that companies addressing and managing ESG factors impacting their business will provide better outcomes for their shareholders, and other stakeholders, over the long term. This matters to us from multiple perspectives: investments, service providers, sponsor covenant considerations and in our day-to-day running of Dalriada. 

    More details on our views on ESG can be found in our ESG Policy. 

    PMI Insight Partner

    Dalriada has been appointed as the Insight Partner to the Pensions Management Institute (PMI) in the area of Pension Trusteeship.  We believe this demonstrates our position in the industry as a market leading independent trustee company.

    In partnership, the PMI and Dalriada will provide valuable insight and education to both PMI members and the wider pensions industry on managing the complexities and challenges presented by both DB and DC schemes.

    Sustainability

    We place our  corporate social responsibility at the heart of what we do. We were therefore delighted to be awarded the Diversity Award at the 2022 European Pensions Awards.  Our professional trustees have a near even gender balance with many minorities represented and a median age of 45 and our youngest fully accredited professional trustee is in their early 20s.  Further initiatives at Dalriada include: supporting the 10,000 Black Interns program, our Voices campaign (a Diversity and Inclusion initiative focused on raising and hearing diverse voices), our Menopause support group and our LGBTQ+ network.  

    Dalriada Trustees are also leading the way on Environmental, Social and Governance investment integration in the pensions trusteeship industry! We are the only professional trustee company in the UK to be a signatory to the United Nations (UN) Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) and launch our own ESG policy. 

    Disability Confident Employer

    We are delighted that we have been confirmed as a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2). The Disability Confident scheme supports employers to make the most of the talents disabled people can bring to the workplace. We are really pleased with this accreditation as it is another step for us in our journey as an inclusive employer. We continue to be committed to equality in the workplace and will continue to promote a diverse and inclusive culture where colleagues feel respected and valued for their differences.