The UK’s Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) has appointed Julian Mund as its chief executive, succeeding Joanne Segars.

Mund has been acting chief executive since June, when Segars left the pensions industry trade body. He will take on the role permanently from 1 August.

He joined the PLSA in 2013 as commercial services director. He was previously director of markets and product development at the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.

Lesley Williams, chair of the PLSA, said: “As an organisation that speaks about the importance of good governance, we considered who would be the most appropriate fit for the role as well as consulting our strong succession plans and Julian’s appointment is a result of those. He has successfully led the PLSA team during a very uncertain time, ensuring stability and the continuity of our work.”

Mund said: “I want us to champion and focus on the areas that matter most to our members, and help us to provide a strong foundation for people’s retirement income. The PLSA has a dedicated and extremely capable workforce, and I am really looking forward to us driving the organisation forwards.”

As well as the chief executive change, Williams is also due to step down from her position in October, with Richard Butcher – managing director of independent trustee firm PTL – taking over as chair.

The PLSA said that, in his role as commercial services director, Mund had helped increase the trade body’s commercial income by 29%.

During 2016, the PLSA recorded income of £8.2m (€9.2m), according to its annual accounts. Of this, £3.2m came from member subscriptions and £4.1m from its conferences and events. Profit for the year totalled just over £1m, while its reserves totalled £5m at the end of 2016.