The Retirement Income Providers’ Forum (RIPF) plays a vital role in bringing together providers from across the retirement income market to discuss key industry themes, explore emerging trends, and identify opportunities to improve the efficiency of the sector. By offering a platform for open discussion, collaboration, and sharing of best practices, the forum supports the development of better solutions for customers and contributes to the long-term sustainability of the market.

Addressing Challenges in Forum Management

Until now, the forum has been organised and chaired on a rotating basis by its participating organisations. While this approach has ensured shared ownership, it has also created challenges:

  • Inconsistent scheduling and meeting management due to differing processes and priorities across organisations.
  • Duplication of effort, with meeting materials, agendas, and records being managed in separate systems.
  • Resource drain on participants, as coordination tasks often fall outside of their primary responsibilities.

To address these issues and ensure the forum operates as efficiently as possible, we will now take over the chairing and administration of the forum.

Why Criterion?

We have more than 30 years of experience facilitating collaboration across diverse industry coalitions. With a proven track record of bringing together competing interests to discuss shared challenges and explore practical solutions, Criterion is ideally positioned to provide the forum with:

  • Consistent organisation – ensuring meetings are scheduled regularly and efficiently.
  • Clear structure and outputs – including well-prepared agendas, timely minutes, and effective Terms of Reference.
  • Streamlined information management – reducing duplication and ensuring participants have easy access to key materials.

Nick Green, Strategic and Proposition Director: 

We’re excited to take on the role of chairing the Retirement Income Providers’ Forum. Our aim is to bring consistency, structure and focus, helping the industry work together to tackle shared challenges and shape better outcomes for customers.

A Positive Step for the Forum and the Industry

By centralising the chairing and administration of the RIPF under Criterion, the forum will benefit from greater consistency, improved efficiency, and a stronger focus on meaningful discussion and outcomes. Participants will be able to dedicate more time to contributing their expertise, rather than managing logistics, and the sector will gain from a more coordinated approach to addressing common challenges. 

This move marks an exciting new phase for the RIPF – one that promises to strengthen collaboration and help shape the future of retirement income. If you would like to get involved, please contact us: [email protected]. 

Setting the agenda for the first criterion-run RIPF

This inaugural meeting will lay the groundwork for how the forum operates, with dynamic discussions on broadening participation to include more annuity providers and exploring the appetite for involving drawdown providers. Attendees will revisit five strategic priorities first outlined in March, evaluating progress and identifying areas still in need of attention. The agenda also includes a forward-looking conversation on how artificial intelligence could transform the consumer journey - particularly in simplifying Retirement Health Form (RHF) completion. A pivotal question will be raised around quote substitution: should providers return quotes that match the benefit level of the requested product shape when specific features are unavailable? The session will wrap up with updates from our wider forums, including RHF, the Process & Standards Group, and post-quote annuity application data - setting the stage for meaningful collaboration and tangible progress.