LGC Investment Series Podcast: Recent Episodes
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Local Government Chronicle's new Investment Series Podcast is all about local government pension fund investment.
This episode was recorded at the LGC Investment Seminar 2026 in Carden Park on 19-20 March.
Joining Martin George, acting editor of Local Government Chronicle, are Rachel Brothwood, executive director of pensions at the West Midlands Pension Fund, and Matthew Graham, chief business development officer at the LPPI pool.
They discuss some of the biggest current issues in the Local Government Pension Scheme, including progress on ‘completing’ the government’s pooling reforms, and three-yearly actuarial valuation of council pension funds.
They also reflect on a topic that is becoming of ever greater importance to the LGPS: local investment.
Read LGC's investment content at lgcplus.com/investment
This episode was recorded at the LGC Investment Seminar Scotland in Edinburgh on 30-31 October 2025.
Joining Martin George, deputy editor of Local Government Chronicle, is Clair Alcock, board secretary to the LGPS Advisory Board.
Together they explore the biggest issues shaping the LGPS, including the new shape of the scheme following pooling 2.0, upcoming governance changes, and how relationships between funds and pools may evolve.
Clair reflects on valuation-year challenges, rising administrative burdens, and the Scheme Advisory Board’s priorities for improved communication, peer support and strengthened administration.
The latest episode of the LGC Investment Podcast explores sustainable finance in the Local Government Pension Scheme amid increasing complexity and geopolitical challenges.
This episode is sponsored by Jupiter Asset Management. Jupiter is leading specialist active asset manager.
This episode was recorded at the LGC Investment & Pensions Summit in Birmingham on 11-12 September. Joining Martin George, deputy editor of Local Government Chronicle, are:
- Abbie Llewellyn-Waters, lead investment manager for the Jupiter Global Leaders strategy
- Faith Ward, chief responsible investment officer at Brunel Pension Partnership
Together they discuss the changing geopolitical landscape; how to deal with the increasing complexity of different investment time horizons and data challenges; and observations from China’s developing attitude towards climate change and seizing the competitive advantages it offers.
They also talk about how to better communicate sustainable finance issues to wider audiences.
This episode is sponsored by Downing. Downing is a responsible investment manager with nearly a billion pounds of assets under management in renewable energy and infrastructure.
This episode was recorded live at the LGC Investment Seminar which was held between 27-28 March 2025 in Carden Park, Cheshire. Joining Martin George, deputy editor of Local Government Chronicle, are:
- Tom Williams, head of energy and infrastructure at Downing
- Laura Colliss, pension fund manager at North East Scotland Pension Fund
Together they discuss the investment opportunities for the LGPS to invest in the energy transition ahead of key milestones in 2030 and 2050, the role of Great British Energy and how the LGPS can work with it, and how LGPS funds can use these opportunities to achieve a local impact in their area.
Find out more about the event at investmentseminar.lgcplus.com/
Read LGC's investment content at lgcplus.com/investment
This episode is sponsored by Brightwood.
Brightwood Capital is a $6 billion private credit firm that specialises in providing customised senior debt capital to sponsored and non-sponsored U.S. businesses in five core industries within the middle market.
This episode was recorded live at the LGC Investment and Pensions Summit which was held between 11-13 September 2024 in Birmingham. Joining Martin George, deputy editor of Local Government Chronicle, are:
- Sengal Selassie, CEO and founder of Brightwood Capital Advisors
- Mike O'Donnell, former CEO of London CIV
- Jo Kempton, head of Lincolnshire Pension Fund
Together they discuss the implications of the new UK Government, an upcoming U.S presidential election, and the potential for pension fund/pool mergers, structural change, UK-focused investment, and more.
Find out more about the event at investmentsummit.lgcplus.com
Read LGC's investment content at lgcplus.com/investment
Episode ten of this LGC Investment Series Podcast is now available, and was recorded at the recent LGC Pension Insight Symposium event held in Winchester between 11-12 July 2024.
Joining deputy editor of Local Government Chronicle Martin George, is Phil Triggs, Tri-Borough Director of Treasury and Pensions at Westminster City Council, and Jo Donnelly, Secretary to the Scheme Advisory Board.
The group discuss what the landslide Labour general election of 2024 means for the LGPS.
To find out more about the event, sponsorship, or attendance, visit
https://lgcpensioninsight.lgcplus.com/2024/en/page/home
For news, features and events regarding the LGPS visit: https://lgcplus.com/investment
Episode nine of this LGC Investment Series Podcast is now available, and was recorded at the recent LGC Investment Seminar event held at Carden Park in Cheshire between 14-15 March 2024.
In this episode, Deputy Editor of LGC, Martin George, chats to a pair from Clwyd Pension Fund. Deputy Head of Fund, Debbie Fielder, who had received the Lifetime Achievement Award from LGC at dinner the night prior, and her boss - Philip Latham, Head of Fund.
To find out more about the event, sponsorship, or attendance, visit https://investmentseminar.lgcplus.com/investment2023/en/page/home
For news, features and events regarding the LGPS visit: https://lgcplus.com/investment
Episode eight of this LGC Investment Series Podcast is now available, and was recorded at the recent LGC Investment Seminar Scotland event held in Edinburgh between 19-20 October 2023.
In this episode, Deputy Editor of LGC, Martin George, chats to Bruce Miller, Chief Investment Officer at Lothian Pension Fund.
Episode seven of this LGC Investment Series Podcast is now live, and was recorded at the recent LGC Investment & Pensions Summit held in Leeds between 07-08 September 2023.
In this episode, Deputy Editor of LGC, Martin George, chats to Roger Phillips from the Scheme Advisory Board, fresh off the back of his session at the event in which he updated the auidence on the Board's response to the upcoming consultation.
The next LGC Investment event will be the LGC Investment Seminar at Carden Park in Cheshire, between 14-15 March 2024. Find out more here:
https://investmentseminar.lgcplus.com/investment2023/en/page/home
Episode six of this LGC Investment Series Podcast is now live, and was recorded at the recent LGC Investment Seminar held at Carden Park in Cheshire between 30-31 March 2023.
In this episode, Deputy Editor of LGC, Martin George, chats to Dafydd Edwards - County Fund Director at Gwynedd Pension Fund, ahead of his impending retirement. Dafydd was also awarded the LGC Investment Lifetime Achievement Awards at the event.
The next LGC Investment event will be the LGC Pension Insight Symposium in Stratford upon Avon, between 13-14 July 2023. Find out more here:
https://lgcpensioninsight.lgcplus.com/pensioninsightsymposium2023/en/page/home
Episode five of this LGC Investment Series Podcast is now live, and was recorded at the recent LGC Investment & Pensions Summit held in Leeds between 08-09 September 2022.
In this episode, Deputy Editor of LGC, Martin George, chats to Mike O'Donnell - the Chief Executive Officer at London CIV.
The next LGC Investment event will be the LGC Investment Seminar Scotland in Edinburgh, between 20-21 October. Find out more here: https://www.investmentseminarscotland.lgcplus.com
The fourth episode of the LGC Investment Series Podcast is live!
This one was recorded at the Investment Seminar which was held at Carden Park in Cheshire, between 25-25 March 2022, and features our interview with Jeff Houston as his retirement from the Local Government Pension Scheme Advisory Board approaches.
Jeff is quizzed by LGC's deputy editor Martin George on all things LGPS including his blue sky thoughts about the next ten years - how many pools and funds will there be, and what impact will levelling up have? Also find out the answer to the question "What one thing was the biggest waste of time during your career?" - an answer a few people may be able to predict.
Jeff also tells us his opinion on the LGPS achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, some analysis on the impact of the conflict in Ukraine, and regales us with stories from his long career in local government pensions.
The next LGC Investment event will be the Pension Insight Symposium which will be held in Stratford-upon-Avon in July.
Visit https://lgcpensioninsight.lgcplus.com/ to find out more.
The third episode of our Investment Series Podcast was recorded at the LGC Investment Seminar 2020 which was held on 27 & 28 February at Carden Park Country Hotel in Cheshire.
The episode is hosted once again by LGC Features Editor Martin George. Martin is joined by CIPFA's Associate Director, Andrew Burns, shortly before he delivered the closing session to the conference audience.
Together they discuss the potential impact of COVID-19 (briefly), issues around pooling, and major infrastructure projects in the context of a new government.
The next LGC Investment event will be the Pension Insight Symposium which will be held in Stratford-upon-Avon in July.
Visit https://lgcpensioninsight.lgcplus.com/ to find out more.
This episode was recorded at the LGC Investment and Pensions Summit which was held at Celtic Manor in South Wales on 5 & 6 September 2019.
LGC’s new Features Editor, Martin George, is joined by the Chief Executive of Brunel Pension Partnership, Dawn Turner, and Secretary to the Scheme Advisory Board, Jeff Houston.
The trio discuss the key highlights from the two day Summit, including hot topics like collaboration cross-pools and sustainable investing. Also in this episode, we hear from Natalie Fee, Founder of City to Sea, as she sets the scene on climate change for the delegates. Find out more about Natalie’s journey and how City to Sea are connecting our actions to our oceans by visiting citytosea.org.uk.
This podcast is bought to you by Minerva Analytics, the new name for Manifest. Minerva is Europe’s independent provider of global proxy voting, corporate governance & ESG-factor research. To learn more about our Sustainable Stewardship and Shareholder Voting services, please visit Minerva.info.
In the first episode of the LGC Investment Series Podcast, editor of LGC Nick Golding is joined by Denise Le Gal from BPP and Michael Marshall from LGPS. The three discuss ESG - what does it mean and how does it directly impact our world, and how funds can hold their pool to account. This episode was recorded at the LGC Pension Insight Symposium, sponsored by PIMCO, held between 11-12 July 2019. PIMCO is one of the world's premier fixed income investment managers. Find out more at pimco.co.uk