Well-known pensions policy spokesperson and strategist Tom McPhail has returned to the industry, joining the lang cat as director of Public Affairs.
McPhail spent 20 years at Hargreaves Lansdown, as its head of Policy and lead spokesperson on pensions issues. In addition, he was an active participant in various industry bodies and initiatives such as TISA, the ABI the STAR Transfers project and lobbying for reform of the annuity market.
Since leaving HL in early 2020 Tom has spent some time working on transport policy for an electric scooter and bicycle business and most recently, he conducted an independent review of the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) for the Department for Work and Pensions1.
At the lang cat he will add to the lang cat’s strategic communications, taking the lead on various strategically important reports, share his expertise and insight on the regulatory and political landscape with subscribers of the lang cat’s Platform Analyser software, and support clients on public policy, pensions, and PR.
Mark Polson, principal and founder of the lang cat, said: “From the beginning of the lang cat, I’ve tried to build a business that has deep-rooted subject matter expertise and the ability to communicate difficult stuff in a way that people can read without lapsing into unconsciousness. That’s not an easy thing to pull off at a business level let alone a personal one. But if you’re looking for someone who exemplifies both these characteristics, Tom would be right at the top of anyone’s list. He is very tall, but that’s not what makes him a giant of the sector, and the fact that he’s coming to work with the lang cat is an absolute honour for us and a validation of what it is we’re trying to do.”
1 The review is expected to be published by the DWP within the next few weeks
