Unlock the full potential of your pension fund with Avida International.

Founded in 2004, Avida International advises institutional pension investors, their trustee boards, and sponsors.

We have supported many pension investment organisations with strategies and implementation in institutional investment and risk management.

Meet Our Cross-Border Team

We have established offices in London, Amsterdam, and Munich, and our highly experienced team is dedicated to thoroughly understanding your unique challenges and addressing them effectively and efficiently.

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  • Founding Partner

    Paul Boerboom founded Avida International in 2004 and has been advising institutional investors and their advisers throughout Europe ever since. He is specialised in strategic outsourcing and crisis management.


  • Managing Partner, Head Germany

    As Managing Partner of Avida International, Dr Dorothee Franzen heads Avida in Germany. Previously, Dorothee performed senior roles at Allianz Global Investors and Unicredit. She is specialised in pension governance and regulation. Dorothee is a member of the aba Committee on Digitalisation and holds a DPhil from the University of Oxford.

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  • Senior Advisor

    Ian has deep and broad experience of some of the largest and most complex DB and DC schemes in the UK.  In the last 20 years he was the CIO of the Pension Protection Fund, the Aviva Staff, and then the Lloyds Banking Group's pensions schemes. Prior to that he held senior positions in actuarial and investment consulting.  His time at these schemes was characterised by a drive towards dynamic governance, with trustees/NEDs freed up to concentrate on the 'big stuff', alongside an empowered and accountable executive team focusing on opportunity as much as risk.  The result was typically improved funding and investment outcomes, tight control of costs, and disciplined strategies which aimed to deliver scheme objectives without being overly complex.

  • Senior Advisor

    Jenny has had a long and varied career in finance, starting her professional life with a degree in Mathematics from the University of Oxford and going on to qualify as an actuary. She specialised in leading global sales teams for large asset management companies, most recently as Global Head of Distribution for Fidelity International’s workplace investing business. She now focuses on creating cultures that people want to work in and has authored four books, and is a regular speaker, on workplace culture.

  • Senior Advisor

    Sarah brings extensive experience across pensions, financial services, and regulation. She previously worked with Avida from 2017 to 2020 and has held a number of senior industry roles, most recently serving as Chair of The Pensions Regulator, following four years on its Board as a Non-Executive Director.

    Earlier in her career, she spent 10 years in the investment management industry. Sarah is a Chartered Accountant (ICAS) and read Classics at the University of Oxford.


  • Senior Advisor

    Mike has spent over 30 years as an investment specialist and leader of pensions and asset management businesses owned and supported by major UK pensions schemes. Most latterly Mike was CEO of LGPS Central; prior to this he established the Pensions Infrastructure Platform and was CIO for the pension schemes of DMGT plc. Mike is also Chair of Trustees of the Institute of Cancer Research Pension Scheme and a professional Independent Trustee with Pi Partnership.


  • Senior Advisor

    Simone joined Avida in 2014 where she is involved in projects for organisational change and client retention programmes. Simone has a strong pensions industry background having worked with some of its leading players in her career.


  • Senior Advisor

    Patrick Woods has over 25 years in the financial services space with considerable portfolio and fund management expertise

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  • Senior Advisor

    Phil has held a range of positions across both business development and consulting and brings with him over 40 years’ pension and investment experience. Most recently Phil was Executive Director at Cardano. Prior to that he was Head of Business Development EMEA at Aviva Investors and has also worked at Credit Suisse, Zurich, CIS and Scottish Mutual. His formative years were spent as a pensions consultant at Hogg Robinson Benefit Consultants.


  • Senior Advisor

    Beatrice Herrmann holds 30+ years of experience in international pension consulting with Mercer, Commerzbank and Allianz Group.

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  • Senior Advisor

    Chris brings more than 40 years of experience across pensions, investments and governance. Chris has served as a CEO, CIO, Trustee, NED and consultant, and is widely recognised as a leading figure in the UK pensions industry.

    Chris led Railpen as CEO and CIO for almost 20 years and later became Chair of Border to Coast. He also served as Investment Committee Chair at Nest and is currently Chair of the Nuclear Liabilities Fund and a Board member of the Scott Trust Endowment.

    Chris is a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and an Honorary Fellow of CFA UK.


  • Senior Advisor

    Professor Christian Schmitt is Professor of Business Administration at the Hochschule der Bayerischen Wirtschaft (HDBW, Bavarian School of Economics) in Munich. He also advises asset managers and institutional investors on risk management, alternative investments and advanced analytics.

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  • Partner, Head of Private Markets

    John brings over two decades of experience from APG Asset Management, where he spent 24 years, including more than 18 years building and overseeing a global private equity portfolio exceeding €50 billion. His expertise spans portfolio construction, manager selection, operational setup, and the structuring of both individual investments and full private equity programmes.


  • Senior Advisor

    Rob holds over 30 years of experience working in the pension industry, most recently as Chief Investment Officer for National Grid UK Pension Scheme in the UK. Prior to that Rob was CIO for Philips Pension funds in the Netherlands.

  • Senior Advisor 

    Karen has spent over 20 years working in pensions and investment, primarily advising UK defined benefit pension schemes and their sponsors on investment strategy. 

    Most recently, Karen was a Managing Director at Redington, working as lead investment consultant to a number of large UK DB schemes and sponsors. She was also Chair of Redington’s firmwide Investment Strategy Committee.  

    Prior to this, Karen worked at Morgan Stanley in the European Pensions Advisory team, working with corporates on pensions risk management and before this, held roles in both equity and debt capital markets. Outside of her Avida role, Karen sits on the PMI’s Trustee Special Interest Group Committee. Karen holds a degree from Oxford University in Engineering, Economics and Management. 


  • Senior Business Consultant

    Working across the German, Dutch and English teams at Avida, Tim has been involved in M&A projects and performed in-depth market studies of the pension fund market in major European countries. Tim graduated from Maastricht University in 2016 with a Masters in Financial Economics.

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  • As a marketing and communications professional, Dorien supports Avida International and its clients in managing complex communications projects. With consultancy expertise and a proven track record at leading global companies like Shell and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Dorien brings international experience in strategic communications, project management, and delivering impactful solutions across various industries.

  • Analyst

    Harry is an Analyst at Avida, working across the UK, Dutch, and German teams supporting Senior Consultants with desk research, administration, and marketing. He graduated from Newcastle University with a degree in Philosophy and is currently pursuing the Investment Management Certificate (IMC).

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  • Marketing Coordinator / Website Design

    With extensive experience working with diverse cultural backgrounds and a wide range of clients, Taylor has played a pivotal role in re-positioning businesses through updated communications and visual strategies. Over the past two years as part of the Avida team, Taylor has continuously contributed to the company’s growth by refining its brand identity and enhancing its digital presence.

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The Advisory Board Members

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  • Advisory Board Member

    Professor Gordon L. Clark DSc (Oxon) FBA is the Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment with cross-appointments in the Saïd Business School and the School of Geography and the Environment at Oxford University. He is an Elected Fellow of the British Academy and the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia has been an Andrew Mellon Fellow at the US National Academy of Sciences. Gordon is the author of many books on behaviour, workplace pensions and saving for the future.

  • Advisory Board Member

    Don Ezra was previously co-chair, global consulting for Russell Investments worldwide. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the World Pension Summit and has also been a fellow of the American Savings Education Council and a lecturer at the Board Effectiveness Program for Pension and Other Long-Horizon Investment Institutions of the Rotman International Centre for Pension Management.

  • Managing Partner, Netherlands

    As Managing Partner of Avida International, Gerben Schreurs heads Avida in The Netherlands. Previously, Gerben was the head of business development and relationship management NL pension funds at BlackRock, was head of the Investment Management practice at KPMG Advisory NV and he holds supervisory board positions with some Dutch pension funds. 

  • Managing Partner, Head UK

    As Managing Director of Avida International, Bart Heenk heads Avida in the UK. Previously, Bart performed a number of senior roles at Cardano, SEI, Citibank/Citigroup and Royal Dutch Shell.

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Sarah Smart
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Wanting to join the team?

  • Looking to contribute to a growing company and learn about teamwork? Send us an email with your CV!

  • Ready to become a consultant with Avida International? Email us with your expertise and we will be in touch!

  • Let's see if you're the right fit and explore some opportunities! You can learn the industry while gaining work experience. Email us!

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