Interactive Investor has hired from Royal London in a pensions boost at the direct to consumer platform.
Becky O’Connor has joined in the newly created role of head of pensions and savings in which she will lead Interactive Investor's educational programme and policy campaigns.
She was previously a personal finance specialist at Royal London, where according to her Linkedin page, she spent the past two years.
Ms O'Connor said it was an exciting time for the pensions industry as it continued to adapt to the realities of auto-enrolment and a shift towards defined contribution.
She said: "Pensions play a vital role in all our lives from the moment we enter adulthood, but they are often poorly understood and rarely get a second thought until workers are close to retirement.
"If we are going to avert a retirement crisis, this needs to change, and the strain of managing finances day-to-day has taken an even greater toll during the pandemic."
The former journalist also sits on the ethical advisory committee for Castlefield Investment Management, is a trustee of the UK Mortgage Prisoners charity and co-founded the Good With Money website in 2015.
Ms O'Connor added: "I want to encourage people to be curious about their life savings pot much earlier in their working lives and to take pride in looking after their financial future.
"The growing focus on green and ethical pensions is an especially promising development that will help people to engage with their pensions as investments in the real world and take greater control of their money."
In July, Interactive Investor completed its £62m acquisition of rival platform The Share Centre in a move its chief executive hoped would "strengthen the voice" for flat fees.
Earlier this month it paused its Sipp fees for both new and existing customers in a bid to lower investment costs during the pandemic.
Moira O’Neill, head of personal finance at Interactive Investor, said: "We are committed to helping our customers get the most out of their retirement savings and we are thrilled to welcome Becky, who we have long admired.
"Becky has always championed important consumer issues, and she has done more than most to lift the lid on ethical investing – an issue close to our heart.
"Too many people worry about how they will afford retirement. With a surge in younger investors, who clearly realise that now is that rainy day they should have been saving for, it’s time to engage with more people, at every step of their retirement journey."
rachel.mortimer@ft.com
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