In an update today (July 7), PLSA said Douglas was selected by a sub-committee of the board after an "open and transparent process" that included advertising the role to all PLSA members.
She will initially serve as PLSA chairwoman for three years but this can be extended by up to a further three years.
Douglas will take on the position on October 14 at the PLSA’s annual general meeting and the appointment will see her succeed outgoing chair Richard Butcher, whose four-year tenure ends the same day.
She said: “The PLSA is a leading voice within the pensions industry and I am extremely proud to be appointed as the PLSA chair.
"Having been involved with the PLSA for many years, most recently as the first chair of the policy board, I am looking forward to ensuring that members’ interests continue to be strongly represented by the association as we tackle the post-pandemic future for the pensions and savings industry.
“Richard and Julian have done a great job in leading the PLSA through the Covid crisis and I am very grateful for this as I take on the role of chair.”
Douglas has chaired the PLSA’s policy board since 2018 and was most recently head of DC at Legal & General Investment Management.
She will soon take on the managing director role of workplace savings at Aviva.
As part of her chairmanship, Douglas will work towards helping PLSA fulfil its mission to help everyone achieve a better income in retirement.
The board sets out the PLSA strategy, allocates its resources, reviews its financial performance and monitors the effectiveness of its lobbying, events, training and membership products and services.
Douglas's latest appointment creates a vacancy for her policy board chair position.
She said: “I’d encourage anyone who is attracted to the role to apply and will look forward to working with the successful candidate as they help to shape the PLSA’s policy output, working closely with the excellent PLSA policy team.”
The policy board has strategic oversight of the PLSA’s policy work programme, making sure it supports the PLSA’s purpose and strategic vision.
As part of their role, the new policy board chair will provide leadership in bringing members together behind common policy goals.
It is expected the policy board chair will serve an initial term of three years and may serve a second term of up to three years by agreement with the PLSA board. They will also become a non-executive director on the PLSA board.
Julian Mund, chief executive of the PLSA, said: “I’d like to thank Richard for all the hard work he’s done during his four years as PLSA chair. Richard’s involvement with the PLSA stretches back a lot further than this as he has held a variety of roles with the association for more than a decade now.
“His efforts during that time have been a testament to his dedication to the pensions industry and our goal of helping everyone achieve a better income in retirement."
Butcher added: “I will look back on my time as PLSA chair with great pride having been in the role through some of the industry’s most challenging times; perhaps none more challenging than that of the impact Covid-19 and having made significant steps forward in our governance and policy work.
“None of this would have been possible without the fantastic PLSA team and I am hugely grateful to them for their hard work and commitment.”
He concluded: “It does, however, give me great pleasure to hand the reins over to Emma, who I know will perform a sterling job given her experience and unquestionable passion for the industry."
sonia.rach@ft.com
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