Ross Trustees Services

What Ross Trustees Services does

Ross Trustees Services Limited trades as the Independent Governance Group (IGG) and is the lead entity in a UK professional pensions trusteeship and governance services group ultimately held by Hamsard 3776 Limited. The group is comprised of multiple wholly-owned subsidiaries (Ross Trustees Services Limited, Clarity Trustees Limited, Independent Trustee Limited, Independent Trustee Services Limited, Leadenhall Independent Trustees Limited, IC Select Limited, KGC Associates Limited, and Like Minds UK Limited) operating from a London headquarters at Cannon Place, with additional offices in Glasgow and Birmingham. IGG delivers professional trusteeship through chair of trustees, co-trustee, and professional corporate sole trustee (PCST) appointments, and reports over 450 scheme appointments across UK occupational defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) schemes.

The core service portfolio covers trustee appointments, scheme secretariat, pensions management, covenant and restructuring, funding solutions, risk transfer, PPF assessment, investments, and regulatory compliance. The group has built a digital layer on top of its trustee practice through IGGiQ (a data-driven platform for pension scheme management), IGGnite (a cost-effective service tier for small schemes), ORA Ready (a product addressing TPR's Own Risk Assessment requirements), and the PCST 360 annual research report. IGG holds inclusion on The Pensions Regulator's Independent Trustee Register (audited annually under ICAEW AAF 02/07) and PPF Trustmark status, both of which serve as credentialing gates in this regulated market.

The business operates a direct enterprise sales model, targeting pension scheme trustees, sponsoring employers, and pensions managers through consultative engagement. Revenue is generated from professional trusteeship and supporting governance services, typically under multi-year contractual arrangements. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with fees determined by scheme size, complexity, and scope. LDC (Lloyds Development Capital) is identified as a 2020 growth capital investor; senior leadership includes founder Steven Ross, chairman Martin Kaye, and CFO Anthony Livingstone.

Name

Ross Trustees Services

Legal name

Ross Trustees Services Limited

Website

https://rosstrustees.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Independent Governance Group (trading entity: Ross Trustees Services Limited) is a UK professional pensions trusteeship and governance services provider holding over 450 scheme appointments across DB and DC occupational pension schemes, delivering trustee appointments, scheme secretariat, and regulatory compliance services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pension Trusteeship and Governance Services

NAICS

Pension Funds (525110), Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (5251)

SIC

Finance Services (6199), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Pensions & Retirement Benefits Administration (BPAIAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate & Public Pension Funds (DB/DC Sponsors) (FSAAAGAA), Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension) (FSAEABAE)

Keywords

• Pension trusteeship services
• Pension scheme governance
• Professional corporate trustee
• Scheme secretarial services
• Occupational pension administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Reading

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Trusteeship Services: Revenue generated through professional trusteeship appointments including chair of trustees, co-trustee, and professional corporate sole trustee roles for occupational pension schemes. Services are typically delivered under multi-year contractual arrangements with pension schemes.
2. Pensions Support Services: Supporting revenue from scheme secretarial, pensions managerial, and governance solutions provided to a wide range of pension scheme clients. Includes services such as communications, covenant assessment, funding solutions, investments, project management, and regulatory compliance.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ross Trustees Services, operating as the Independent Governance Group (IGG), provides professional pensions trusteeship and governance services for occupational pension schemes in the UK. Core offerings include chair of trustees, co-trustee, and professional corporate sole trustee appointments, supplemented by scheme secretarial, pensions management, regulatory compliance, risk transfer, covenant assessment, funding solutions, investments, and communications services. The group holds over 450 scheme appointments across DB and DC pension schemes.

Product overview

Independent Governance Group (IGG) operates as a unified professional pensions trusteeship and governance services platform, offering a core Professional Trusteeship service delivered through chair of trustees, co-trustee, and professional corporate sole trustee appointments. The portfolio includes IGGiQ (a data-driven digital platform for pension scheme management), IGGnite (cost-effective governance for small schemes), and ORA Ready (Own Risk Assessment delivery). Supporting services include scheme secretarial, pensions management, investments, regulatory compliance, and risk transfer solutions. IGG holds over 450 scheme appointments across the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IGGnite: High-quality, cost-effective professional trusteeship for small schemes.
• IGGiQ
• PCST 360

Products and services

• Professional Trusteeship Professional pensions trusteeship delivered through chair of trustees, co-trustee and professional corporate sole trustee appointments for occupational pension schemes in the UK. The group holds over 450 scheme appointments across DB and DC schemes.
• Scheme Secretarial & Governance Scheme secretariat and outsourced pensions management services for occupational pension schemes, including communications, covenant restructuring, strategic pension solutions, funding solutions, investments, regulatory compliance, and project management.
• IGGiQ Innovative data-driven platform to digitally enhance pension scheme management, providing data analytics and governance capabilities for pension schemes.
• IGGnite High-quality, cost-effective professional trusteeship solution specifically designed for small schemes, providing comprehensive governance for small pension schemes.
• ORA Ready Efficient delivery of Own Risk Assessment (ORA) requirements for pension schemes, streamlining regulatory compliance processes.
• PCST 360 Annual research report exploring attitudes towards the Professional Corporate Sole Trustee model, serving as industry research and thought leadership output.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mercer (UK Pensions Practice): Global consulting firm with a major UK pensions practice providing actuarial, investment, and governance advisory — a broad incumbent competing for the same scheme mandates as IGG.
• PwC UK Pensions: Big Four firm with a UK pensions practice covering actuarial, regulatory, governance, and trustee-related work — a broad incumbent offering overlapping services in the same scheme-trustee market.
• Aon (UK Pensions): Global professional services firm with extensive UK pensions actuarial, investment, and scheme governance capability — competes with IGG for governance and risk transfer mandates as part of a wider offering.

Direct peers

• Isio: UK pensions advisory and administration firm providing pensions management, scheme secretarial, and trustee support, directly comparable to IGG's professional trusteeship and pensions support services.
• Law Debenture: Long-established UK independent professional trustee and corporate services group with a dedicated pension trustee practice, directly comparable to IGG's professional trusteeship model.
• Dalriada Trustees: UK professional independent trustee firm providing sole trustee, chair, and co-trustee appointments — a focused direct competitor in the PCST and independent trusteeship segment.
• Barnett Waddingham: Major UK actuarial and pensions consultancy providing administration, scheme secretarial, and trustee governance services — a close competitor in the professional trusteeship and pensions governance market.
• Vidett: UK independent professional trustee and governance provider offering professional corporate sole trustee, chair, and co-trustee services — a focused direct competitor to IGG's core PCST model.
• XPS Pensions Group: UK-listed specialist pensions administrator, actuary, and trustee advisory firm offering pension scheme secretarial, trustee, and governance services that directly overlap with IGG's pensions trustee and governance offering.

Emerging players

• Penfida: UK specialist pensions advisory firm focused on DB scheme endgame, risk transfer, and trustee support — overlapping with IGG's risk transfer, funding solutions, and discontinuance services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/independent-governance-group

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ross Trustees Services