Guernsey Pension Seminar 2026: The Home of Global Mobility – Panel Discussion

Helen Dean has spent her working life working in government and in financial services, where she has focussed on improving financial resilience for individuals and families across the UK. 

After studying Psychology Helen started her career in Government where she developed the policy and legislation for the pension reforms that led to auto enrolment and the establishment of National Employment Savings Trust (Nest).  Helen moved to work at Nest which launched in 2012, and after undertaking a variety of Executive roles at Nest, in 2015 she was appointed as CEO.  Helen led Nest through a period of substantial and rapid growth where the membership rose from 2 million to over 13 million people and pension assets grew from £600 million to over £40 billion.

Helen cares deeply about delivering great outcomes for savers through sustainable and responsible investment, connecting with the new cohort of savers generated by auto enrolment and about promoting diversity across financial services industry. She is a mentor to younger professionals, offering guidance and coaching. Helen’s early life, growing up on a council estate in Newcastle Upon Tyne, followed by several years working in local benefit offices across London left her with a passionate interest in addressing financial inequalities and promoting financial resilience across society. 

Helen left Nest in 2024, and she is now Chair of the Standard Life Master trust pension scheme, a Trustee and SID at Step Change debt charity and Chair of the Governance Committee for Your Island Pension, the scheme which the government of Guernsey has established for their new programme of auto enrolment into pensions. 

Helen was awarded a CBE in the 2021 New Year Honours list for her services to pension saving.

Stephen is the Senior Partner of the BWCI Group. He is also past Chairman of Abelica Global, the international organisation of consultants and actuaries and is a member of its Council.

He has had extensive experience of advising clients over the whole range of the Group's business. He specialises in international work and presented an award winning paper on international pension plans to the International Association of Consulting Actuaries in 2002. In addition to leading the Group’s trustee practice, he is also responsible for chairing each of the Group’s operating subsidiaries. He is a past President of the Channel Islands Actuarial Association and is the current President of the Guernsey Association of Pension Providers.

Stephen became a Partner of the Group upon its establishment in 1979, and has been Senior Partner since 1991. Before joining the Group, Stephen spent six years with Bacon & Woodrow in the UK, where he qualified as a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries in 1977. He is also a Fellow of the Pensions Management Institute, the Chartered Insurance Institute and the Royal Society of Arts and is a Trust and Estate Practitioner.

Alessandra Santiago began her career as an investment professional, working across both asset and wealth management. She moved into the pensions industry over 15 years ago, initially as an equity portfolio manager for a defined benefit pension scheme in Brazil. After relocating to the UK, she worked as an investment consultant advising defined benefit and defined contribution pension schemes, as well as LGPS funds.

Alessandra is now part of the Reward team at Inchcape, a global automotive distribution group with more than 16,000 employees across 40 countries. Her role covers the governance and management of DB and DC pension schemes, with a strong focus on managing long‑term risk and supporting DB risk transfer journeys. Alongside pensions, she is responsible for international benefits, company share plans and global mobility and contributes to wider Reward activities.

A qualified lawyer with 20 years’ experience in financial services, Rachael was educated and qualified as both a Chartered Accountant and a Barrister and Solicitor in New Zealand, where she trained with KPMG prior to relocating to Guernsey in 2007.

Rachael joined Concept Group Limited (now part of the Belasko group) in May 2022 as an Associate Director where she utilises her trust, company and pension experience for the benefit of clients.  Her prior Guernsey experience includes roles as a Senior Legal Manager in the in-house legal team at a large fiduciary firm where she worked for 8 years and as a lawyer in the Business and Trust Law Group at a leading offshore law firm for 6 years.

In December 2019 Rachael became a full member of STEP and in 2024 she completed her Diploma in Company Direction through the Institute of Directors.  Rachael has held a New Zealand legal practicing certificate since October 2016

Neil started his career in taxation with HM Revenue & Customs in 1991. Since leaving HMRC in 1995 he has gained vast experience during periods of employment at PwC, Fairhurst, BTG Tax and Smith & Williamson. Neil is experienced in all areas of personal taxation planning including Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax and Inheritance Tax.

Neil’s wide range of clients includes high net worth individuals, entrepreneurs and high profile sportspeople & entertainers. He has also developed a niche in advising on tax issues associated with both UK and overseas pension schemes and is now the preferred advisor to a number of providers.