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Determinations Panel

The Determinations Panel (DP) is a committee of The Pensions Regulator (TPR). It operates separately from other parts of the organisation, including TPR’s case teams.

The DP has a separately appointed membership and legal support. This enables it to make independent and impartial decisions. The DP considers all the evidence before it and provides each party with reasonable opportunity to present their case. Members of the panel are not involved in the investigation process.

The DP consists of:

  • a chair appointed by TPR
  • at least six other people who are nominated by the chair and appointed by TPR

On this page


Current members

Antony Townsend (Chair)

Antony has wide ranging experience as a chief executive and board chair of regulatory organisations, and in complaints handling. He is Chair of the Channel Islands Financial Ombudsman Service, Chair of Entrust (the regulator of the Landfill Communities Fund), an Independent Investigator for the Houses of Parliament, and Chair of the Strategic Advisory Board of the Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service.

His former roles include Financial Regulators Complaints Commissioner, Chair of the UK and Ireland Regulatory Board of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Chair of the Regulatory Board of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, Deputy Chair of the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care, an Independent Review Chair for NHS England (Continuing Healthcare reviews), and Trustee and Director of South Warwickshire Citizens Advice. He was the first chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority from its establishment in 2006 until January 2014. He was also the General Dental Council’s chief executive from 2001 to 2006.

In the 1990s, Antony held a number of senior roles at the General Medical Council, including Director of Standards and Education, and head of Conduct. His earlier career was with the Home Office, where he worked primarily on criminal justice issues.

Anthony Arter

Anthony was awarded a CBE in the King’s New Year’s Honours Awards 2023 for services to pensions and to charity. He was formerly the Pension Ombudsman and Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman and latterly interim Chair of The Pension Ombudsman and interim Deputy Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman. As a solicitor he specialised in pensions. He was Eversheds Sutherland LLP’s Head of Pensions and their London Senior Partner. Anthony was Chair of the Ombudsman Association for the UK, Ireland and overseas territories.

He was also an independent member of the Pensions Management Institute Committee overseeing their Accredited Adviser Programme. He has also been an independent trustee for many years and in December 2018, Anthony was appointed as a pro bono independent Trustee Director of the Action for Children Pension Fund. Anthony has been involved in many community volunteering initiatives and was chosen by Prince Charles (as he then was) to be his Business in the Community London Ambassador for volunteering.

Sarah Chambers

Sarah is currently an Electoral Commissioner, a Judicial Appointments Commission panellist, member of the Office of Rail & Road Consumer Expert Panel and Railway Industry Health & Safety Advisory Committee, Independent Panel Member of the Mayor’s Office for Policing & Crime, Chair of the Applications Panel of the Renewable Energy Consumer Code, and Trustee and Vice-Chair of the Greenhouse Sports charity.

Her previous roles include Chair of the Legal Services Consumer Panel, member of the CAA Independent Review Panel (investigating the air traffic control incident of August 2023), the CAA Regulatory Advisory Panel, CEO of Postcomm, Commissioner of the Competition Commission (subsequently a panel member of the Competition and Markets Authority), a member of the CAA Consumer Panel, an Independent Director of the Payments Council, and directorships in several civil service roles.

Anne Fletcher

Anne is currently a panel member for the Competition and Markets Authority. She is an experienced Group General Counsel (BT plc) and Compliance Director (Royal Mail, BT plc) and was an Audit and Risk Committee member for the Office of the Public Guardian until January 2021. Anne is also a former Trustee for the Royal Mail Senior Executive Pension Plan and a former Vice-Chair of the BT Benevolent Fund.

Stephen Mount

Stephen is currently a member of the Regulatory Decisions Committee of the Financial Conduct Authority and acts internationally as an expert witness on financial reporting, corporate governance and auditing matters.

He was formally Chair of the Audit Committee of Gama Aviation Plc and several NHS Hospital Trusts and a member of the Audit Quality Review Committee at the Financial Reporting Council. Stephen retired as a senior partner with PwC, after almost 4 decades’ auditing and advising FTSE, Fortune 500 and smaller/midcap listed companies in the UK, USA, Europe and Asia across a wide range of industry sectors. He also served in a number of PwC management roles. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

Rachel Onikosi

Rachel Onikosi is an appointed Panel Chair with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), where she leads quasi-judicial hearings that assess fitness to practice. She also holds a similar role at the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and as a Panel Member with the General Dental Council (GDC). In addition to her regulatory work, Rachel is an elected Councillor in the London Borough of Lewisham, representing residents of the Bellingham ward. In this capacity, she is an active member of both the Safer and Stronger Committee   and the Licensing Committee.  As a Non-Executive Director for the Consumer Council for Water (CCW), Rachel helps guide the organisation’s strategic, financial, risk management, and reputational strategies. She chairs the HR and Remuneration Committee and is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee. Rachel's current extensive experience includes serving as a presiding Magistrate at two courts in Southeast London and previously was a School Governor at a London primary school from 2019 - 2025.

Previously, Rachel worked as a civil servant in the Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills (BIS), where she advised ministers on consumer policy. During her tenure, she played a significant part in implementing the European Services Directive into UK law, aiding in the removal of regulatory burdens on small businesses as part of the movement to reduce red tape. She also supported some aspects of the Consumer Bill of Rights project, which unified various consumer goods and service regulations into a single legislative framework. Lastly, over the years Rachel has worked in different capacities with organisations including Thames Water, Southern Water, High Speed 2, the Parole Board, and DEFRA.

Pauline Wallace

Pauline was inaugural chair of the UK Accounting Standards Endorsement Board until September 2025 and is currently a member of the Bank of England’s Enforcement Decision Making Committee.

She was formerly a member of the RDC at the FCA, and of the ICAEW Regulatory Board. Pauline has extensive experience as a school governor and has recently been appointed as a governor and chair of the finance, audit and risk committee of St Albans Education Group. She was previously a partner at PwC where she was head of the global financial instruments team before becoming head of public policy and regulatory affairs.


Members' expenses

We publish the expenses for the Determinations Panel Chair and members for each quarter. This includes all expenses incurred for travel, accommodation and meals etc, as well as any hospitality given to others. A separate sheet shows any hospitality received by these individuals in their capacity as Determinations Panel members during the specified quarter.

Some explanatory notes:

Expenses are incurred by Determinations Panel members in two ways. Either individuals spend their own money whilst on TPR business and then claim it back (see staff and board / panel expenses policies in our Publication Scheme) or, particularly for travel and accommodation that needs to be booked in advance, TPR makes bookings directly and is invoiced for the cost. For this reason, these expenses will be published for the quarter in which they were paid, and therefore may not necessarily appear alongside other expenses (claimed back in arrears) for the same trip.

Determinations Panel quarter 2 expenses (1 July to 30 September 2025)

Determinations Panel quarter 1 expenses (1 April to 30 June 2025)

Determinations Panel quarter 4 expenses (1 January to 31 March 2025)

Determinations Panel quarter 3 expenses (1 October to 31 December 2024)


Register of members' interests

Last annual review date: January 2026

Antony Townsend

Role

  • Chair

Current employment or office in addition to panel role

  • Chair, Entrust (Landfill Communities Fund)
  • Chair, Strategic Advisory Board, Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service, Council of Inns of Court
  • Independent Investigator, Houses of Parliament
  • Chair, Channel Islands Financial Ombudsman Service

Current directorships

  • Director, Environmental Scheme Regulatory Body
  • Director, Entrust Limited

Occupational pension schemes

  • General Medical Council (pensioner)
  • General Dental Council (pensioner)

Anthony Arter

Role

  • Panel member

Current employment or office in addition to panel role

  • Owner, Little Steps Limited children’s day nursery

Current directorships

  • Managing Director, Little Steps Limited

Non-profit organisations

  • Director, Action for Children Pension Fund

Positions on pension scheme trustee boards, their subcommittees, or employment by such schemes

  • Pro bono Director (Independent Trustee) Action for Children Pension Fund
  • Chair, DC Section Sub-Committee

Occupational pension schemes

  • Metropolitan Police pension scheme (Pensioner)

Sarah Chambers

Role

  • Panel member

Current employment or office in addition to panel role

  • Chair, Renewable Energy Consumer Code Applications Panel
  • Commissioner, Electoral Commission
  • Panel member, Judicial Appointments Commission
  • Member of Office of Rail & Road Consumer Expert Panel and Railway Industry Health & Safety Advisory Committee
  • Independent Panel Member of the Mayor’s Office for Policing & Crime

Non-profit organisations

  • Trustee and vice-Chair, Greenhouse Sports (Charity)

Occupational pension schemes

  • PCSPS

Anne Fletcher

Role

  • Panel member

Current employment or office in addition to panel role

  • Panel member, Competition and Markets Authority

Occupational pension schemes

  • Member, BT pension scheme
  • Former Trustee, Royal Mail Senior Executive Pension Plan

Stephen Mount

Role

  • Panel member

Current employment or office in addition to panel role

  • Financial Conduct Authority (RDC)
  • Expert witness on financial reporting, corporate governance and auditing matters

Rachel Onikosi

Role

  • Panel member

Current employment or office in addition to Panel role

  • Panel Chair, Nursing and Midwifery Council
  • Panel Chair, UK Council for Psychotherapy
  • Non-Executive Director, Consumer Council for Water
  • Elected Councillor, London Borough of Lewisham
  • Presiding Justice (Southeast London Magistrates Bench)
  • Panel Member, General Dental Council

Current directorships

  • Director, Empowerment Trade (non-trading)

Occupational pension schemes

  • Police pension scheme
  • Civil service pension scheme
  • Nursing and Midwifery Council, pension

Pauline Wallace

Role

  • Panel member

Current employment or office in addition to panel role

  • Member, Bank of England’s Enforcement Decision Making Committee

Current directorships

  • St Albans Education Group Ltd

Non-profit organisations

  • Chair, Governors Middleton School

Occupational pension schemes

  • Reuters Pension Fund (husband)