UK – The UK’s Association of Corporate Treasurers has unveiled a new certificate in pensions risk management.

The new Certificate Paper: Pensions Risk Management (Cert PRM) course is designed to enable finance professionals to understand, analyse and manage the risks associated with company pension funds, the ACT said.

The ACT added it “equips finance professionals with a fundamental understanding of the legislative and regulatory framework surrounding pensions, including the role of trustees, risk management implications and associated governance issues”.

“I do believe the new pensions qualification will have wide appeal and I do not have to underline how timely and topical the subject is,” said ACT chief executive Richard Raeburn.

“The Certificate explores the impact of the pension fund on the cost of capital, enabling the finance professional to manage the financial assets of the business and address funding requirements,” according to the course details on the ACT’s web site.

David Blackwood, group treasurer of ICI, is quoted as saying: “This module is well written and gives excellent coverage to all areas of pensions that finance professionals and many others need to understand.

“It will undoubtedly help all those that study it to make significant improvements to the way they approach pensions and pension risk management.

Those who pass the Cert PRM will become eligible to become a PRM Affiliate of the ACT.

The qualification is aimed at treasurers, finance directors, risk managers, pension fund trustees and “anyone with an interest in, or a need to understand, the impact of the pension fund on an organization”.