Congratulations on a successful project with Disney! How did the opportunity come about?

This is a story all based on the importance of good relationships – and it all started with Shaun Southern, a Partner in Winchester Pensions Actuarial. Having collaborated closely with Chimen Chauhan, Disney’s Head of Benefits during her time at ASOS, Shaun continued to support Chimen as she transitioned to Disney, providing insights into Disney's pension arrangements and the areas Chimen might want to prioritise. They have a good working relationship, and it was the trust and rapport that Shaun had built which laid the foundations for Chimen wanting to continue working with LCP.

For the first significant project, Shaun introduced Chimen to Philip Audaer, a Principal in our DC department and he led a project to help Disney switch from managing its own employee pension scheme, to appointing a master trust. This provided a better member experience for Disney employees and a more streamlined and cost-effective solution. Philip has remained a trusted advisor to Disney ever since.

Shaun and Philip would frequently meet up with Chimen to understand if there were other opportunities where LCP could help. Following one meeting where Disney raised concerns about the third-party administrator to their defined benefit scheme, Shaun introduced our PMC specialists (Chris Holly, Mat Witherwick, Hannah Mackenzie and me) to Chimen and the wider Disney team, and a new project kicked off! It goes to show that the relationships we had fostered across the business proved invaluable. Our approach to delighting our clients and the strong connections we form has been fundamental to LCP’s journey with Disney.

What has been the highlight of working with Disney?

Definitely the positive relationships we have built with the client. This was such an enjoyable project to work on, thanks to the wonderful team at Disney and the Trustee Board, who have been a pleasure to work with. A fond memory was a site visit in Bristol with contacts from both Disney and the Trustee. The client relationship even survived an “entertaining” car journey navigating the one-way system around Bristol!

But a personal highlight for me was having an exclusive tour of Disney’s Hammersmith office. A standout moment was seeing the life-sized Disney characters scattered around the office — Monsters Inc was a personal favourite!

What did you learn from this experience that you’d like to share with others in LCP?

When you build relationships based on trust, the opportunities are endless - not just for your own department, but potentially for others too.

This project was a perfect example of how at the heart of LCP, we are a people-business. By focusing on relationships, building strong connections, and delivering exceptional work, we not only achieved great results, but helped to ensure LCP remains a partner of choice for Disney’s ongoing needs.

Following the great work of Shaun and Philip, our successful approach with Disney has now led to new opportunities, including corporate actuarial adviser! We’re excited to see where this partnership will go next! It seems fitting to end this with one all-important quote from Walt Disney himself: