Appointment reflects continued investment in Open business which includes the acquisition of the well-established Standard Life brand announced today
Phoenix Group, the UK’s largest long-term savings and retirement business, today announces the appointment of Sangita Chawla as Marketing Director for its Savings and Retirement business. The appointment forms part of Phoenix’s continued investment in a strong and sustainable Open business that will help even more people on their journey to and through retirement.
As part of this ongoing investment, today Phoenix Group has also announced that it is set to acquire the Standard Life brand from its strategic partner Standard Life Aberdeen. “Standard Life” is the brand Phoenix’s Open business has continued to operate under in the pension and savings market since acquiring Standard Life Assurance from its partner in 2018.
Sangita will be responsible for managing the Standard Life brand for our Open Savings and Retirement businesses. Additionally, she will be responsible for driving revenues across these business channels through integrated marketing campaigns that position Standard Life, as part of the Phoenix Group, as the natural choice for employers, trustees, advisers and customers. She brings a broad and deep understanding of DC pensions, Master Trust and retail savings, both in the UK and internationally.
Sangita joins from Aegon, where she was responsible for the investment solution strategy for the UK workplace and retail business, and, as Head of Investment Solutions Strategy, led the firm’s retirement income and ESG propositions. Sangita has over 25 years’ experience covering both workplace and intermediary channels and has also held senior roles within distribution, investment, marketing and propositions at Aon, Schroders and Fidelity.
Sangita will work closely with Colin Williams, Phoenix’s incoming Managing Director, Pensions and Savings, and report into Andy Curran, CEO Savings and Retirement UK and Europe.
Andy Curran, CEO Savings and Retirements UK and Europe, of Phoenix Group said: “As we grow our Open business, we are investing in a market-leading team with specialist skills and a proven track record of delivery, placing customers at the heart of everything we do. Sangita has a strong track record of building integrated marketing programs and will play an important role in developing our propositions for all of our stakeholders.”
Sangita Chawla, Marketing Director, comments: “I’m delighted to be joining at this exciting time, as Phoenix announces it will be taking ownership of the Standard Life brand with heritage dating back almost 200 years. I’m very much looking forward to further strengthening the market presence of this well-established brand in the savings and retirement market, and to working with my new colleagues to make the most of the opportunities we now have. We will be investing in our brand and product innovation to continue to make us relevant to our customers today and in the future, and meet our business ambitions to be the leading provider of pensions and savings solutions.”
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Enquiries
Daniel White
PR Manager
07377665099
daniel.white@thephoenixgroup.com
Darragh Leeson
PR Manager
07707270001
Darragh_Leeson@standardlife.com
Haya Herbert-Burns / Matthew Thomlinson
Teneo
+44(0)7342031051 / +44(0)7785528363
Haya.herbertburns@teneo.com / matthew.thomlinson@teneo.com
Notes to editors
About Phoenix Group
Phoenix Group is the UK’s largest long-term savings and retirement business with 13.9 million policies and £323 billion of assets under administration across both our Heritage and Open businesses. Our broad range of products means we can support people across all stages of the life savings cycle.
Our Heritage business, where we are the market-leader, is focused on the safe and efficient management of insurance policies. The Heritage segment comprises products that are no longer actively marketed to customers, and where we have stepped in as the custodian of these policies. We have built this business through the consolidation of over 100 legacy insurance brands.
Our Open business comprises products that are actively marketed to new and existing customers and has five separate business units. Our Workplace pensions and Customer Savings & Investments (“CS&I”) units operate under the Standard Life brand and manufacture long-term savings and retirement products to support people saving for their future.
The Retirement Solutions unit within Open includes both vesting annuities and our Bulk Purchase Annuity (“BPA”) business, where we acquire annuities and deliver the financial stability required to secure pensions currently provided by corporates.
Lastly, the Open business comprises our market leading brand – “SunLife” – which sells a range of financial products specifically for the over 50s market and our European business unit which spans Ireland, Germany and the International Bond segment in the UK and operates under the Standard Life brand.