About Us

Our Philosophy

Being a trustee of a pension scheme is a significant responsibility, which requires expertise and industry wide experience. Trustees are often faced with challenging decisions as they attempt to balance the interests of sponsoring employers and beneficiaries while running their scheme in an ever-changing legislative environment. These trustees are responsible for ensuring that their scheme is adequately funded and for investing vast sums of money. Therefore, it is vital that they are cognisant of regulatory requirements and investment markets while understanding how to balance risk with expected returns. Trustees need to mandate their advisors with clear unambiguous objectives and ensure they operate unhindered by any conflict of interest

Our Philosophy

Executive Director

Jim Foley

Managing Director

Brian Macdonald

Brian was appointed Managing Director of Trustee Decisions Limited in March 2024, an Irish owned fully independent professional pension trustee company providing pension scheme trustee services to Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution Pension Schemes. He is a well established and experienced pension scheme trustee
Brian is a recognised pensions expert having worked in pensions technical knowledge roles throughout his career. He has over 30 years of experience in the life and pensions industry both in Ireland and the UK working with all types of pension arrangements
Prior to joining Trustee Decisions and the Newcourt group of companies, he was the head of the Life and Pensions Technical Support area for New Ireland Assurance leading a number of expert teams
He is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute, Licentiate of the Compliance Institute and he also holds the Pension Trustee Practitioner (PTP) qualification of the LIA
Brian is the current chair of the Association of Pension Trustees in Ireland (APTI) and he also chairs the Pensions Working Group of the Compliance Institute. He sits on the DC Committee of the Irish Association of Pension Funds (IAPF) and was previously chair of Insurance Ireland’s Pensions Committee

Executive Director

Jim Foley

Jim is a Director at Trustee Decisions Limited since 1 January 2015 and was Managing Director from March 2021 to March 2024. He has worked in the Financial Services, Telecommunications and Pensions sectors in Ireland and the UK as well as on World Bank funded projects in Zambia and Uganda
Over the last 10 years Jim has been an Independent Professional Trustee responsible for a range of Irish pension funds with combined asset values over €10bn and membership numbers over 50,000
He is a Non-Executive Director of Irish Forestry Unit Trust Forestry Management Limited, and of Newcourt Retirement Fund Managers Limited. He was Chair of Irish Airlines Pensions DAC for nine years to July 2024. Jim previously worked with eircom Limited, the National Australia Group, the Institute of Public Administration, and the Central Bank of Ireland in a range of pension, finance, economic and HR roles
Jim became a member of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants in 1986, has a primary degree in Financial Services, a Masters in Business Administration, a post grad in Corporate Governance, and is a Qualified Pension Trustee QPT (IIPM Law and Governance programme for Trustees)
Jim is a past Chair of the Irish Association of Pension Funds (IAPF). In September 2024, Jim was appointed by EIOPA (European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority) to their Occupational Pension Stakeholder Group for a 4-year term. Jim is a regular contributor to pensions conferences in Ireland, the UK, Europe and the USA

Independent Non-Executive Director

Paul Kenny

Paul spent over thirty years in the pensions industry before being appointed Ireland’s first Pensions Ombudsman in 2003. Paul retired as Pensions Ombudsman in May 2016
Paul was a founder Fellow of the Irish Institute of Pensions Management (IIPM) and a Director for ten years of the Retirement Planning Council of Ireland (RPC) and its Chairman for three years
During his employment in the pensions industry he was responsible for technical support and trustee training, delivered direct to trustees appointed by client companies and elected by scheme members, and through organisations such as ICTU
Paul currently acts as External Examiner in pensions examination subjects for the IIPM and the Life Insurance Association
He holds a B. Comm degree from UCD, and a Certificate in Training and Further Education from NUI Maynooth

Executive Director

Gerard Keane

Gerard has over 30 years of experience in the pensions industry and is ManagingDirector of Newcourt Retirement Fund Managers Limited since 2007
He is a well established and experienced pension scheme trustee
Gerard has served as both Chairman and Treasurer of the Association of Pension Trustees in Ireland (APTI)
He is actively engaged with legislative submissions / changes relating to all areas of pensions law and regulation
Gerard is a Revenue approved Pensioneer Trustee, a Qualified Financial Adviser (QFA) and Pension Trustee Practitioner (PTP)

Executive Director

Ashling Cornally

Ashling was appointed Director of Trustee Decisions limited in March 2024 having previously managed the Corporate Trustee Services area of Trustee Decisions and worked as a senior trustee consultant
She has over 20 years of experience in the pensions industry
Ashling previously worked for New Ireland Assurance. During her time with New Ireland she gained extensive knowledge and experience in Defined Contribution and Group Life Assurance Plans whilst managing a variety of teams and specialist administrators over the years
She holds a Bachelor of Commerce with University College Dublin
Ashling is a Qualified Financial Adviser (QFA), she holds a Certificate in Retirement Planning Advice (RPA) from the LIA, and is a Pension Trustee Practitioner (PTP)

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