STATEMENT OF INVESTMENT PRINCIPLES NEW AIRWAYS PENSION SCHEME

Transcription

1 STATEMENT OF INVESTMENT PRINCIPLES NEW AIRWAYS PENSION SCHEME

2 Contents Section 1 Introduction... 3 Section 2 Objectives funding and investment... 4 Section 3 - Strategy... 5 Section 4 Permitted Investment Activity... 6 Section 5 Risk... 7 Section 6 - Organisation and Management Arrangements... 9 Section 7 Socially Responsible Investment and Corporate Governance Section 8 Additional Voluntary Contributions Section 9 About NAPS APPENDIX

3 Section 1 Introduction 1.1 This statement describes the investment policy being pursued by the Management Trustee ( the Trustee ) of the New Airways Pension Scheme ( the Scheme and NAPS ) and replaces the previous statement dated 26 October Under the Pensions Act 1995 ( the Act ) and subsequent legislation principally the Occupational Pension Schemes (Investment) Regulations 2005 (the Regulations ), the Trustee is required to prepare and maintain a written statement of the principles governing their investment decisions. 1.3 In drawing up this document the Trustee has sought written advice from the Scheme s appointed investment consultants, the Scheme Actuary, and the Scheme s legal advisers, and consulted with British Airways Plc on behalf of the employers who participate in NAPS. 1.4 The Trustee does not expect to revise this Statement frequently as it covers broad principles. However, the Trustee will review this document at least every three years, or without delay following any significant change in investment policy, or where the Trustee considers a review is needed. 1.5 No amendment to this statement will be made without written advice from a suitably qualified person and after consultation with British Airways Plc on behalf of the participating employers.

4 Section 2 Objectives funding and investment 2.1 The main objective is to ensure that the Scheme holds sufficient and appropriate assets to meet the Scheme s liabilities as they fall due and that all beneficiaries receive the benefits they are entitled to under the Rules. 2.2 The Trustee s funding policy for securing this objective is described in the Scheme s Statement of Funding Principles dated 13 December It is the Trustee s policy to maintain suitable structures, resources and processes to ensure that the assets of the Scheme are invested in a suitable manner bearing in mind the circumstances of the Scheme and the requirements of the Act, including the requirements relating to the diversification and suitability of investments as set out in Section 36 of the Act. 2.4 The 2005 Regulations require the Scheme s assets to be invested in the best interests of members and beneficiaries. In order to fulfil this requirement the Trustee s investment objectives are as follows: to maintain a portfolio of suitable assets of appropriate liquidity which will generate Income and capital growth to meet, together with new contributions from the employers, the costs of benefits which the Scheme provides, as set out in the Trust Deed and Rules; to limit the risk of large adverse changes in the level of cover for the Technical Provisions over the shorter term and of the assets failing to meet the liabilities over the longer term; and to minimise the long-term costs of the Scheme by maximising the return on the assets whilst having regard to the objectives shown under above and the Trustee s attitude to risk. 2.5 The Trustee uses Asset Liability Modelling (ALM) to assist in setting investment policy. ALM is undertaken at each valuation The Trustee believes that the tolerance for risk is expected to reduce as the Scheme matures, and this is expected to be reflected in the bandwidths agreed by the Trustee. The tolerance for risk will consider the need for risk taking in order to achieve the Scheme objectives.

5 Section 3 - Strategy 3.1 The Trustee has been advised, and it believes, that having regard to the long-term liabilities of the Scheme, an investment strategy based predominantly on investments in Return Seeking assets (predominantly UK and overseas quoted equities) is the strategy for the current time which is most likely to enable the Scheme to be able to meet all its liabilities for pension-related benefits without imposing an unsustainable contribution liability on British Airways Plc and the other participating employers. 3.2 The broad strategic asset allocation as at 31 January 2018 is shown below: Investment category Liability Matching assets are those held to be aligned with the Scheme s future benefit payments and are intended to reduce the amount of risk. Government bonds are an example of a liability matching asset Return Seeking assets are those chosen with long term returns expected to exceed Liability Matching assets which compensates for the higher risk exposure. Equities (UK and overseas), private equity, property and alternatives are return seeking assets The strategic asset allocation set out above is subject to more detailed control limits and bandwidths agreed by the Investment Committee and exercised by British Airways Pension Investment Management Limited ( BAPIML ) Detail of the actual asset allocation is provided to the Scheme membership in the In Focus publication and in the Annual Report and Accounts. 3.3 Dynamic De-risking Framework The Trustee has put in place suitable arrangements to dynamically manage risk as funding levels improve, to move the weighting from Return Seeking assets towards Liability Matching assets and to take opportunities from market volatility. Such weighting adjustments will be made by reference to time based and funding based triggers which requires daily monitoring of the Scheme s funding ratio and market conditions The dynamic nature of these policies means that the strategic asset allocation described above will move over time towards a position with a higher allocation to Liability Matching assets. Such movement will be linked to the funding position and appropriate market conditions Details of this strategy are overseen and monitored by the Investment Committee in conjunction with the Independent Investment Experts and implemented by the Scheme s Investment Manager, BAPIML. Additional information on investment governance arrangements can be found in Section 6.2 below. 3.4 Liability hedging Allocation Return Seeking 56.5% Liability Matching 43.5% The Trustee has also established liability hedging arrangements involving interest rate and inflation hedging triggers with a view to increasing the level of hedging in certain circumstances The aim of the liability hedging programme is to better align the Scheme s assets with the liabilities by hedging the Scheme s exposure to interest rates and inflation which are the key drivers in relation to the value placed on the liabilities A range of instruments can be used for this purpose including government bonds and swaps.

6 Section 4 Permitted Investment Activity 4.1 The NAPS Trust Deed does not specifically exclude any form of investment or investment activity although the Trustee does restrict the types of asset that BAPIML may hold and the type and extent of investment activity which they are permitted to undertake. 4.2 The Scheme s assets may include equity, fixed interest bonds (government and corporate), index linked bonds (government and corporate), cash, property (including geared indirect property investments), private equity (including, but not limited to, venture capital, development capital, capital restructuring, management buy-outs and mezzanine funds), alternative assets (including, but not limited to, infrastructure (including private/public finance initiatives), leveraged loans, emerging market debt and currency). BAPIML is permitted to deal in commodity instruments, swaps, futures, options and contracts for differences as well as currency hedging. Assets may be UK or overseas in origin. 4.3 The assets of the Scheme consist predominantly of investments admitted to trading on regulated markets and where they are not, are kept to a prudent level. 4.4 Investments in derivative instruments and use of leverage may only be made in so far as they contribute to a reduction of risks or facilitate efficient portfolio management (including the reduction of cost or the generation of additional capital or income with an acceptable level of risk). Any such investment is made and managed so as to avoid excessive risk exposure to a single counterparty and to other derivative operations, and is monitored regularly and reported to the Investment Committee. 4.5 Stock lending is also permitted and this activity is delegated to the independent global custodian. For the purposes of operating the policy on voting (see Section 7.3), a stock lending recall process is in place to allow BAPIML to request the recall by the custodian of any stock on loan from the borrower in order to exercise voting rights, where practicable. 4.6 A governance document entitled the Investment Strategy Framework (ISF), together with the Investment Management Agreement ( the IMA ) (as amended from time to time) between the Trustee and BAPIML, document the detailed restrictions that apply in terms of the types of investment which are permitted and the diversification parameters operative at any time. Adherence to these specifications is monitored by administrators who report directly to the Trustee.

7 Section 5 Risk 5.1 The Trustee regards risk as any factor that may render the Scheme unable to meet its liabilities or satisfy its funding objectives as set out in its Statement of Funding Principles. They do not regard risk as inherently unacceptable: there is no such thing as an entirely risk-free investment. What is of concern is the degree of risk relative to the liabilities to be met. The terms of the IMA between the Trustee and BAPIML have been negotiated following expert advice from the Scheme s Legal Advisers. The Scheme remains exposed to a number of short-term risks, including tactical positions, unhedged positions, unhedged currency positions and the risk of needing to sell assets at depressed prices to meet liquidity needs. The Trustee believes that these risks should be managed in addition to, and in conjunction with, longer-term risks relating to the likelihood of meeting the Scheme s Journey Plan objective. Material risks that are unlikely to be rewarded are typically hedged where possible and where it is cost effective to do so. The table below identifies the key risks and the steps taken to mitigate these risks. Risk Investment Risk Liability Risk Control and mitigation Through the IMA with BAPIML, this risk is principally addressed by:- i) investing predominantly in equities, which are believed to offer the best potential for achieving the long-term investment objectives, but with appropriate holdings in other asset classes to mitigate against the short-term volatility in equity markets; ii) iii) iv) establishing investment parameters within which BAPIML must operate in the ISF and the IMA, which also details the prudential limits associated with specific investment activities and monitoring compliance with these parameters and limits; diversifying investments geographically and ensuring that there is no undue concentration of assets in a single investment; instructing BAPIML to avoid self-investment of any kind in British Airways Plc or International Consolidated Airlines Group, S.A. other than in exceptional circumstances, in which case BAPIML is required to seek the express prior approval of the Trustee, setting out the reasons for this self-investment and the incremental risk to which the fund would be exposed. In such an event this investment would be subject to any statutory limitations in force at the time of the investment and subsequently; v) the Trustee measures and considers the investment risks to the Scheme by commissioning reports on such aspects of investment risk as it may from time to time consider appropriate; and vi) seeking to maintain a level of diversification in its risk exposures subject to governance implications. As mentioned in Section 3.4, the Trustee has established liability hedging arrangements to better align the Scheme s assets with the liabilities by hedging the exposure to interest rates and inflation which are the key drivers in relation to the value placed on the liabilities. Longer life expectancy would increase the Scheme s liabilities and the Trustee periodically considers its approach to hedging this risk.

8 Risk Active Management Risk Liquidity Risk Currency Risk Operational Risk Sponsor Risk Control and mitigation The risk that the in-house manager (BAPIML) fails to comply with the ISF or IMA, or misses performance targets. Adherence to the IMA is monitored by administrators who report directly to the Trustee. The Trustee carefully and methodically monitors the activities and performance of BAPIML on a regular basis. Performance is monitored and independently assessed relative to the overall fund benchmark and the various individual benchmark indices. The Trustee has explicitly decided that comparison with the average experience within the pension fund industry is inappropriate. This is the risk of the Scheme not having sufficient liquid assets to allow it to meet the liabilities as they fall due. This risk is managed by ensuring that investments are appropriate in terms of security and liquidity to meet payments due from the Scheme and to facilitate any desired changes in asset mix. The Trustee believes that the Scheme has the ability and mind-set to be able to act as a long-term investor. In terms of the realisation of investments, the Trustee expects that the investments of the Scheme (and any cash contributions thereto) would normally generate sufficient cash to meet the benefit obligations as they fall due but an adequate proportion of sufficiently realisable investments is held to meet additional cash flow requirements in mos t foreseeable circumstances. Subject to maintaining certain minimum currency hedging requirements, BAPIML is permitted to manage currency risk and to hedge where this is deemed appropriate to avoid risk resulting from exposure to non-sterling denominated assets. This risk is addressed by:- i) delegating physical custody of evidence of title to securities to independent global custodians; ii) iii) subjecting investment management activity to internal audit scrutiny under the direction of the Governance and Audit Committee; and establishing a process to enable regular reporting and review of exposure to counterparty risk. This is the level of the ability and willingness of the sponsor to support the continuation of the Scheme and to make good any current or future deficit (i.e. the strength of the covenant). The Trustee s willingness to take investment risk depends on the strength of the employer covenant. The covenant adviser to the Scheme carries out extensive and ongoing reviews of British Airways Plc s financial position and future cash flows.

9 Section 6 - Organisation and Management Arrangements 6.1 The Trustee has ultimate responsibility for decision making on investment matters. The Trustee has agreed that all strategic policy decisions on investments will be taken by the Main Trustee Board after in-depth consideration by the Investment Committee and following receipt of appropriate advice. Strategic policy decisions are those which have the potential for requiring an amendment of this document and consultation with British Airways Plc. 6.2 Investment Committee The Trustee, having taken expert advice, has established an Investment Committee, consisting of a sub group of Trustee Directors which is supported by highly experienced independent pension scheme investment specialists (Independent Investment Experts, please refer to below). Investment advice is provided by BAPIML and, where appropriate, advice is also sought from other parties including the Scheme Actuary, investment consultants and other investment professionals. A representative from British Airways Plc is invited to each Investment Committee meeting but the responsibility for decision making rests with the Trustee The Investment Committee s role includes assisting the Trustee in agreeing the Scheme s risk budget and determining how the risk budget should be spent in order to achieve the long-term funding objectives As well as requiring the Investment Committee to give consideration to investment policy issues, the Trustee has agreed to delegate authority to approve specific transactions to the Investment Committee, where such transactions are in excess of the limits delegated to BAPIML in the IMA The Trustee has also established an Investment Planning Forum (IPF). The role of the IPF is to support BAPIML in the formulation and development of investment proposals and to make recommendations to the Investment Committee on the investment strategy, liability hedging strategy and de-risking policy for the Scheme The Trustee appoints Independent Investment Expert (IIEs). The rationale for appointing IIEs is to enhance the level of expertise available in the Investment Committee and the IPF, and to mitigate the time constraints within which the IC and IPF operate. IIEs can be either appointed in an individual capacity or drawn from a firm which specialises in professional investment services. 6.3 Day to day investment decisions The Trustee believes that setting long-term investment strategy is not time critical. However decisions relating to changes in asset allocation might be needed quickly and the Trustee has decided that the Investment Committee should delegate these decisions where possible to BAPIML. Similarly short-term tactical decisions and implementation are delegated to BAPIML The Trustee delegates its discretion to make all routine or day to day investment decisions, including the realisation of assets, to BAPIML in accordance with Section 34 of the Act. Currently, BAPIML s costs are borne by the fund without the inclusion of a profit element.

10 6.3.3 The appointment of BAPIML as Scheme Investment Manager is subject to periodic review. Such a revie w considers issues such as management, organisation, resources, investment process and philosophy of BAPIML, together with the likelihood that BAPIML will be able to achieve the objectives which the Trustee considers appropriate in terms of this Statement of Investment Principles. The Trustee believes that in-house investment management will provide, in most areas, a more certain return net of fees and expenses than external management, where it is practical to build an internal team with appropriate capability. The choice between internal and external management will in each case consider the extent to which it is reasonable and cost effective for BAPIML to build the capacity required. Examples of markets where external management is likely to be more efficient include niche markets where investment is likely to be more opportunistic, and certain private markets where scale of resourcing is important. The Trustee believes that fees matter greatly and should be managed carefully. When considering new investment opportunities, expected returns net of all fees are most important. However, the threshold net of fees returns will be increased as the level of fees paid for the opportunity rises The Trustee believes that governance carries a cost, which needs to be considered alongside the associated benefits, that all markets exhibit periods of inefficiency and that skilful managers are expected to add sustainable value after fees. The Trustee can employ governance to deliver excess returns relative to the returns of the benchmark indices. However use of active management increases governance and so should be targeted at areas most conductive to exploiting such excess return opportunities The Trustee has set BAPIML the performance target of 0.5% per annum above a composite strategic benchmark over a rolling five year period though they will continue to monitor performance over a range of time periods. Each asset class has a benchmark, usually an index related to the particular asset class. The composite benchmark is the aggregate of these benchmarks. Details of the strategic benchmark, including market indices, are agreed by the Investment Committee for inclusion in the ISF and IMA, and kept under review.

11 Section 7 Socially Responsible Investment and Corporate Governance 7.1 The primary objective of these arrangements is to protect the economic interests of the Scheme. The Trustee s overriding objective is not to cause BAPIML to take any action (whether by purchasing, holding or selling any investment) which could be reasonably expected to diminish the financial returns on Scheme investment as a whole. 7.2 Engagement Subject to this objective, the Trustee requires BAPIML to incorporate as part of its investment process a systematic approach to the maintenance of ongoing dialogue with the management of those companies in which it retains, or proposes to make, significant equity investments and, where appropriate, other forms of investment. The specific purpose of such dialogue - called responsibility discussion overlay (RDO) - is to establish a framework within which BAPIML may, on behalf of the Trustee, raise issues concerning the environmental, social, or governance aspects of the operations of the investee company. BAPIML has been requested to report to the Trustee once in each calendar year on its activities under RDO and the Trustee uses this report as a focus for issuing further guidance to BAPIML (in consultation with British Airways Plc where appropriate) if required. 7.3 Exercise of Voting Rights BAPIML has been instructed by the Trustee to exercise voting and other rights attaching to NAPS investments at meetings of UK and overseas listed companies wherever practicable. Where relevant rights are exercised, this will be based on the framework formulated by the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association ( PLSA ) Details of the exercise of voting rights are reported to the Trustee at least quarterly and a summary of this information along with data summarising the Scheme s larger investments will be made available on the member website each year In order to improve the voting process the stock lending agreement between the Trustee, the custodian and BAPIML is reviewed regularly and any issues that arise are reported to the Investment Committee. 7.4 Collaboration The Trustee has agreed to adopt the Financial Reporting Council s Stewardship code (as amended in 2012) and review the Statement of Compliance with the Stewardship Code in line with developing industry-wide good practice The Trustee is not currently a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment but keeps the position under regular review, working with the PLSA (who are signatories) and in collaboration with other institutions as appropriate.

12 Section 8 Additional Voluntary Contributions 8.1 The Trustee, having taken appropriate advice (including from the Scheme Actuary) has arranged with BAPIML for members to be able to make Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) to the Equity Biased Fund (EBF), the Short-Dated Gilts Fund (SGF) and the Mixed Portfolio Fund (MPF). 8.2 The Investment Objective of these funds is to provide a range of investments suitable for supplementing members pensions at retirement. 8.3 Contributions to the EBF and the SGF are invested with the same asset allocation as is used for the main Scheme assets but with returns calculated on a different basis. 8.4 EBF EBF returns consist of two parts the Guarantee Component and the Bonus Component. Interest is added to EBF accounts monthly at the rate of 1/12th of the total of the annual Guarantee Component and 1/12th of the annual Bonus Component Guarantee Component - this rate is calculated monthly and is the interest that would have accumulated in a Deposit Account paying interest at the Sterling Overnight Index Average (SONIA) rate during the previous month Bonus Component this rate is calculated annually on 1 April each year. It is calculated by the Scheme Actuary and is based on an appropriate investment portfolio, which is currently equivalent to the Scheme s asset allocation as this is believed to be a reasonable reflection of a long-term investment strategy that an individual member might want to adopt for this AVC fund When determining the Bonus Component the Scheme Actuary compares the actual rate of return achieved by the portfolio in recent years to the Guarantee Component and then calculates a weighted average return in excess of the Guarantee Component. An allowance is then made to the Bonus Component to allow for the cost of the guarantee. It is possible for the Bonus Component to be zero, but not negative. 8.5 SGF SGF returns are related to Government gilt-edged securities and give a return in the form of interest calculated as the average rate from the three highest-yielding, gilt-edged securities which have less than five years to maturity. Interest on SGF accounts is calculated annually but where funds are switched into, or out of, the SGF during the year, interest is calculated separately in respect of the money held before and after the date of the switch. Contributions made each month receive interest on a proportional basis. 8.6 MPF The MPF is similar to a unit trust. Members contributions are used to buy units, the value of which depends on the value of the MPF. The value of the units can go up or down In regard to contributions to the MPF the Trustee has been advised, and it believes, that an investment strategy based predominantly on investment in equities and fixed interest bonds as detailed in Appendix 1, is for the time being the most appropriate strategy. The Trustee sets a benchmark for each type of asset (shares, bonds etc) held within the MPF and use this to monitor the MPF s performance by comparison with the returns produced by other large AVC providers. 8.7 Investments in the AVC funds will be realised to meet the benefit obligations as they fall due either in the form of cash or by means of the purchase of an annuity. 8.8 An Investment Commentary which details how the three AVC funds have performed is produced each year (this document is available on the member website) and provides more detail on how the MPF has been invested over that year.

13 Section 9 About NAPS 9.1 NAPS provides retirement benefits for employees of British Airways Plc and some of its subsidiary and associated companies and benefits for dependants of members and pensioners when they die. 9.2 The Scheme was established under a Trust Deed dated 16 March 1984 and was the scheme for eligible new employees of British Airways Plc between 1 April 1984 and 31 March 2003 when it closed to new entrants. With effect on and from 1 April 2018, the Scheme will be closed to future accrual and the investment strategy will be subject to review following closure to future accrual. 9.3 The operation of the Scheme is governed by its Rules (as updated from time to time), which provide mainly for salary-related benefits under the Final Salary Section (FSS) but from 1 April 1993 some defined contribution benefits have also been provided under the British Airways Money Purchase Section (BAMPS) which was closed to new contributions from 30 September The Scheme's assets are held under the legal control of the Trustee. 9.5 The Scheme was exempt approved by the Inland Revenue and is now a registered scheme under the Finance Act NAPS FSS was contracted out of the State Second Pension (formerly known as the State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme) however contracting-out ceased for benefits accrued from 6 April NAPS BAMPS was not contracted out of the State Second Pension.

14 APPENDIX 1 MPF Summary Asset Allocation and Bandwidths