Colleagues were ‘joined’ by a World Cup winner for a surprise celebration for the chief executive of a leading Crawley employer to mark his 40 years with the business.
Patrick Heath-Lay, who has led the Manor Royal-based People’s Partnership for 12 years, was joined by scores of guests, including his family. During the celebration he received an array of tributes, including a video message from Sir Geoff Hurst, England’s 1966 hattrick hero who is also a West Ham United legend, where Patrick is a season ticketholder.
Patrick’s journey to CEO for People’s Pension, the biggest commercial defined contribution workplace pension providers in the UK is a remarkable one, having started at the not-for-profit organisation, which was previously known as B&CE, on August 5 1985, aged 16. His mother, who worked at Crawley Job Centre, secured him the interview which landed him a role in the post room. He began his rise through the ranks, which saw him train as an accountant and eventually run various departments such as finance and marketing.
In 2012, he established and oversaw the launch of People’s Pension, which has since grown to manage £35 billion of savings for more than seven million members. Since the launch of People’s Pension, the organisation, which was founded in 1942, has grown from approximately 200 colleagues to more than 1,000.
On reaching such a momentous milestone, Patrick said:
“It has been a privilege to build my career within this purpose led organisation over the past 40 years. For the last 12 years, as CEO, being able to drive the tremendous growth of the People’s Pension has been so fulfilling on many levels.
“I am immensely proud to get to lead something as special as this business, that has a long history of serving the underserved and which continues to be powered by fantastic people. I have been fortunate to work alongside so many incredible colleagues, too many to call out individually, that have made the last four decades such a special journey. In many ways, even after 40 years, this organisation is just getting started at this exciting time for the pensions industry. I’d just like to say a huge thank you to everyone I’ve worked with past and present and how lovely it is to stop for a moment and reflect upon this milestone.”
David Meliveo, Chief Commercial Officer at People’s Partnership, attended the celebration and said: “It was great to see so many people come together to celebrate the remarkable achievements of a leader who has made a positive contribution to both the pensions industry as well as the local community in Crawley. The success behind our very special organisation comes from his relentless focus on making People’s Partnership a purpose-lead organisation, which focuses on the needs of its members rather than shareholders.”
ENDS
Notes to editor:
People’s Partnership provides People’s Pension, the largest commercial master trust in the UK, serving seven million pension savers across the UK and manages £35bn in assets. As a business without shareholders, it reinvests its profits with the aim to help customers and achieve better financial outcomes for everyone.