Heywood
Heywood, a leading provider of pension management solutions, is proud to announce its successful completion as a Pathfinder organisation and connection to the live pensions dashboards environment as part of the Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP) route to pensions dashboard delivery. This milestone marks Heywood’s commitment to innovation and industry leadership in facilitating seamless access to pensions data for millions of savers.
As one of the original two Pathfinder organisations, alongside Pension Fusion and later joined by L&G, Heywood embarked on this journey in August 2024. The Pathfinder process was designed to test the connection journey, resolve potential challenges, and provide valuable insights before opening the connection pathway to the wider Volunteer Participant cohort.
The Pathfinder programme has now successfully completed Operational Acceptance Testing against version 1.3 of the PDP standards, demonstrating the robustness of the connection process. Throughout this journey, Heywood has actively contributed by:
- Reviewing and providing feedback on early documentation and guidance.
- Progressing through the various stages of the Pathfinder plan in accordance with PDP guidance.
- Participating in diary studies and interviews with the PDP user research team.
- Reviewing and refining technical documentation and processes.
- Sharing experiences and insights to support the wider Volunteer Participant cohort in their connection journey.
Heywood’s involvement as a Pathfinder has been invaluable in ensuring both the readiness of its own technology and a smoother onboarding experience for its customers. Furthermore, the learnings from this process have helped enhance guidance and streamline processes, significantly reducing the timeframes for other Volunteer Participants. As a result, the industry is better prepared to meet the initial staging dates and ensure a successful rollout of the Pensions Dashboards Programme.
Sian Jones, CEO of Heywood, commented: “We are delighted to have played a key role as a Pathfinder organisation. Our involvement has reinforced Heywood’s position at the forefront of pensions technology, and we are now fully prepared to support our customers in connecting to the Pensions Dashboards Programme. This initiative is a crucial step in empowering savers with better access to their pensions information, and we’re proud to contribute to making it a success.”
Oliver Morley, CEO of the Money and Pensions Service said: ““We are very grateful for the hard work and continued commitment shown by Heywood. Their dedication has made it possible to reach this critical point in the delivery of pensions dashboards that will help to transform people’s engagement with their retirement savings.”
With its Pathfinder journey now complete, Heywood is ready to onboard its customers to the Pensions Dashboards Programme, ensuring a seamless and efficient connection process. The company remains committed to driving innovation and enhancing the pensions industry for the benefit of providers and members alike.
