The 144 billion-euro Dutch civil service pension fund Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP has won the Gold Award for best European pension fund at the 2003 IPE Awards. In total the fund carried off no fewer than five of the trophies, including the IPE Silver Award for European Public Sector Fund of the Year and two ââ¬Ëthemedââ¬â¢ awards for innovation in the fields of SRI and Risk Management.
The scheme also picked up the award for best Dutch pension plan at ceremony in the Amsterdam Convention Factory in front of 467 guests representing around 200 pension funds worth a combined 600 billion euros.
The IPE-Awards judges - a panel of leading European investment professionals ââ¬" praised ABP for its ability to react quickly and effectively in these turbulent times, as one judge commented: ââ¬ÅDespite being the largest and opinion leading European/Dutch pension fund, it acts and moves well in times of change.ââ¬Â Another judge noted that ABP ââ¬Åarguably has the strongest future potential for European excellenceââ¬Â.
It was a good night for the Dutch in their capital city. The IPE Award for Outstanding Industry Contribution in 2003 went to European Commissioner Frits Bolkestein, a Dutch national. His remit of internal market, taxation and customs union, not only includes the pan-European Pensions Directive, which he championed and brought to fruition earlier this year, but also the tax infringement procedures currently facing non-compliant EU member states.
Sharing the IPE Silver Awards with ABP on the night were the UKââ¬â¢s BT Pension Scheme (BTPS), winner of the award for Corporate Pension Plan of the year, which the judges praised as: ââ¬ÅA big private DB pension fund which has to manage a great business with increasing demands and challenges.ââ¬Â
Germanyââ¬â¢s MetallRente, the pension fund for employees of the countryââ¬â¢s metal and electrical industries, claimed the Silver Award for Industry-Wide Scheme of the year, with the judges haling its position as ââ¬ÅA leading pension fund in Germany,ââ¬Â despite the fact that it has only been in operation for two years. ââ¬ÅThe management of MetallRente looks very sophisticated and deserves an appropriate ranking,ââ¬Â the judges added.
The IPE-Awards Country winners were as follows:
Belgium ââ¬" CPM/VKG Pension Fund
Central Europe - ING Nationale-Nederlanden Poland
Denmark - Industriens Pensionsforsikring A/S
Finland ââ¬" Ilmarinen
Germany - Vodafone Group Services Limited
France ââ¬" Total
Ireland ââ¬" National Pensions Reserve Fund (NPRF)
Italy - Inarcassa
Netherlands ââ¬" ABP
Spain - Telefonica
Sweden - Länsförsäkringar AB
Switzerland - CERN
UK - London Pensions Fund Authority
Source: IPE.com