Smart appoints Phillip Bretnall as Senior Adviser

Smart, the London-headquartered fintech transforming the global retirement savings market, is pleased to announce the appointment of Phillip Bretnall as Senior Adviser. 

Phillip brings over 40 years of experience in the global retirement and pensions industry.  For the past eight years he has been based in Hong Kong with HSBC, including serving as CEO of HSBC Provident Fund Trustee (Hong Kong) Limited – the largest MPF trustee in the market. He has also served as Head of Global Trustee and Fiduciary Services, Asia Pacific, as well as overseeing pensions governance for ORSO schemes under HSBC’s trusteeship.

Phillip brings deep knowledge of the region's retirement systems alongside senior regulatory and operational experience across Hong Kong, Australia and the UK, including time as COO of the UK’s largest occupational DC scheme, senior positions in outsourced pension administration, and work at The Pensions Regulator.

With a background spanning trustee leadership, regulatory oversight and digital transformation, Phillip is uniquely placed to support Smart’s growth in Asia. His experience aligns closely with Smart’s international ambitions and the continued expansion of its Keystone technology across global retirement markets.

Phillip Bretnall, Senior Adviser to Smart, said:

“I am excited to join Smart at such a pivotal time in its growth trajectory. The company’s innovative approach to retirement technology and its impressive global footprint make it a standout player in the industry. Retirement savings is an industry going through a wave of transformation across the world and Asia is at the forefront of this change. I look forward to working with Andrew and the team.” 

Andrew Evans, Co-Founder and Group CEO of Smart, said:

"We are thrilled to welcome Phillip to Smart where he’ll support us in scaling our retirement saving technology offering internationally. His extensive experience in Asia will be instrumental in helping us navigate the ever-changing landscape of retirement savings and ensuring our Keystone platform remains at the cutting edge, delivering for our partners and their citizens and customers across the globe."

About Smart

Smart is a global savings and investments technology platform provider. Its mission is to transform retirement, savings and financial wellbeing, across all generations, around the world.

Smart, founded in 2014, is the company behind Keystone, the technology platform supporting retirement savers globally. Keystone is specifically designed to help governments and financial institutions (including insurers, asset managers, banks and financial advisers) deliver retirement savings and income solutions that are digital, bespoke and cost-efficient. In addition to the UK, Smart is operating in the US, Europe, Middle East and Asia, with more than a million savers entrusting over £15 billion in assets on its Keystone platform.

Aquiline, Barclays, Chrysalis Investments, DWS Group, Fidelity International Strategic Ventures, J.P. Morgan, Legal & General, MUFG and Natixis Investment Managers are all investors in Smart.

For media enquiries

Email: pressoffice@smart.co