By Lora Benson
A pioneering new initiative led by educational charity and professional financial services body the CISI aims to help turn the UK’s pension capital into a powerful engine of sustainable growth — unlocking investment, improving outcomes for savers, and strengthening the UK economy for the next generation.
The new CISI Growth Unleashed Learning Alliance is an agreement between the City of London Corporation and the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI), representing a coalition of educational and professional bodies.
The Alliance has been formed to provide a programme of activity to support education and understanding of the Mansion House Accord, which was signed in May this year by 17 major UK pension providers, aiming to unlock up to £100 billion of investment for major infrastructure projects, clean energy, and exciting scale-ups.
The agreement signed 11/07/25 by CISI CEO Tracy Vegro OBE, Lord Mayor of the City of London Alastair King FCSI(Hon) and Nick Garnish Chartered MCSI, Master, Worshipful Company of International Bankers is a shared commitment from the City of London Corporation and a coalition of educational bodies led by the CISI to develop and deliver a programme of activity to support education and understanding of the Mansion House Accord (MHA). Nick is also Head of Treasury, CIBC, Europe, Asia & Australia.
CISI CEO Tracy Vegro OBE said: “We are excited to be leading this new initiative along with our partners in the Chartered Body Alliance, which is aligned to the Lord Mayor’s Growth Unleased mission, and is a sector response to UK financial services market uncertainty and questions around risk. We look forward to working with and supporting CISI Honorary Fellow and Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alastair King as convener of this innovative alliance of educational and professional partners. We will work towards accelerating the adoption of the Mansion House Accord, developing a targeted learning and engagement programme across the pensions and investment ecosystem.“
Nick Garnish Chartered MCSI, Master, Worshipful Company of International Bankers and Head of Treasury, CIBC, Europe, Asia & Australia said: “Growth is critically important, so I am delighted to join the group which was convened by the Lord Mayor. The aim is to improve education and engagement associated with risk and risk management, within this ecosystem, to help unlock growth opportunities and illustrates the power of education to change lives and generate better outcomes.”
Lord Mayor of the City of London Alastair King FCSI(Hon) said: “This CISI Growth Unleashed Learning Alliance has been magnificently supported by the CISI and backed by the Chartered Body Alliance, other leading professional bodies, and universities. The Plan will give pension trustees, managers, and policymakers throughout the pension value chain the tools and the confidence they need to invest more productively.
“Wonderfully, these professional bodies have committed to offer this training at cost, to benefit the British economy. That is a real commitment from them for which I am most grateful.
“Our Accord, Pensions Pledge, and education plan represent bold commitments from the financial industry to serve others before it serves itself...but we can go further to help British households secure their long-term financial security.”
The CISI Growth Unleashed Learning Alliance will collaborate on the design and delivery of a UK-wide programme aimed at:
- Raising awareness of the economic and member benefits of investing in private markets
- Enhancing trustee and professional capability across pensions governance and portfolio construction
- Aligning policy objectives with investment practice through high-level dialogue and briefings
- Supporting adoption through real-world case studies, technical guidance, and peer learning
The UK-wide programme will include:
- CPD-accredited modular training
- Executive roundtables and briefings
- A national UK insight and innovation series
- Practical toolkits and decision frameworks
Programme delivery will commence in autumn 2025, led by the CISI with support from other members of the Chartered Body Alliance, professional institutes, universities, and industry contributors including Livery Companies, led by the Worshipful Company of International Bankers.