The new young face of the Pension Fund
Matthew Eyton-Jones is the new Chief Executive Officer of the CERN Pension Fund. He joined the Organization in July and will meet with CERN pensioners for the first time on 15 September. Here he speaks with the Bulletin about himself, his vision and the challenges that lie ahead.
Matthew Eyton-Jones joined CERN on 1 July as the new Chief Executive Officer of the CERN Pension Fund.
Before coming to CERN, Matthew held pension management and consultancy positions at a number of international organisations, including the John Lewis Partnership, Goldman Sachs, the Bank of America and Mercer Consulting. In his role as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the CERN Pension Fund, he is responsible for the day-to-day management of the fund on behalf of and under the supervision of the Governing Board. “In my career, I have been involved in the operation and running of various pension funds around the world,” he says. “However, in the case of CERN, I am not only attracted by the pension fund itself. The thing that really triggered my personal interest in taking over this position is the Organization’s unique culture, the people who work here, and their amazing scientific and technological achievements.”
The CERN Pension Fund manages over 4 billion Swiss francs in assets, both internally and externally. It invests in a number of different asset classes, including equities, fixed income, private equity, real estate, alternative investments, and money markets. “As with any other pension fund, CERN’s fund is a complex eco-system with a lot of stakeholders, market participants and many interlinked activities taking place around the world,” says Matthew. “Pension funds play an important role in society, not only providing financial security for individuals and their families, but also acting as an important source of capital in financial markets.”
Living in such a complex environment is one of Matthew’s hardest challenges. However, he is used to that and he does not forget the importance of the end client. “Pensioners must get a service that works for them,” says Matthew. “The day-to-day operational administration has to be efficient, pensioners’ questions have to be dealt with correctly and the pensions have to be paid on time. But there is more than just that. We have to make sure that the whole thing is well-run, well-managed and that people, including Council members, the Staff and Pensioner Associations and all the other stakeholders, understand the Fund and how it works.”
We might never really understand the Pension Fund as well as Matthew does but there’s a reassuring look in his eyes as he says: “I am not a scientist but some of the things CERN has done are impressive and have had a huge positive impact on society. I will work hard to make its pension fund become a benchmark in the world out there.” Keep up the good work!
